Heir to the Hayato clan: Book III
by dani99597
Summary: After the fourth great shinobi war the people expected peace. However the peace did not last long as just one year after the fourth war ended; Kumo and Iwa started another. Kirigakure managed to stay neutral, but as the years passed the pressure to join the war grew. Now, four years later, Yamada is forced to make a decision. Will he make the right one? Time to find out...On hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

 _He was back at the battlefield of the fourth war, but that wasn't even the strangest thing. There was no one to be seen anywhere. It was still the night of the final battle according to the moon's red color so where was everybody? "H-hello?" He tried to call out, but to no avail. There was no answer to be had and it had him quite unnerved._

 _Suddenly a searing pain found its way into his head, a pain he had hoped to never feel again. He closed his eyes as he grabbed his head and fell to his knees. "Soon we will be one." That voice said._

 _He opened his eyes and sure enough, Kaguya was once again standing in front of him. "No… no I beat you! You shouldn't exist anymore!" He shouted as he stared up at her in horror._

" _You can never defeat me. Now come and let us be one." He fell backwards and quickly started crawling away. However just as she was about to reach him she disappeared and the world around him went blank._

" _W-what the hell is going on." He said, or tried to say. His throat was completely dry for some reason and his movements where suddenly restricted. He felt around and found that he was completely surrounded by walls. There was a wall on all four sides and he couldn't stand up because of the low celling._

 _It was so dark that he couldn't see anything. He started feeling around for something, anything that could be his way out of the tight wooden box he was trapped in. It was only when he felt dirt falling onto his face that he realized where he was._

' _I'm fucking buried in the ground!' He thought as panic started to grip him. However, before he could do anything drastic the roof of his coffin collapsed burying him in several tons of dirt._

' _I'm going to suffocate!' He thought as he kept trying to fight his way out of the death trap. However, it was futile and slowly he started losing consciousness. Moments before it all ended, he woke up._

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada's eyes burst open with panic within them. However as soon as he realized where he was he calmed down significantly. His breathing calmed down as his eyes landed on the lovely woman who was lying beside him.

She had truly only grown more beautiful in the five years that had passed since the war. Her brown hair was out of its buns and was strewn about her on the bed. Her peaceful expression and beauty had Yamada entranced for a while. Indeed Tenten was even more beautiful than ever before.

After she left Konoha four years prior Tenten and Yamada had taken a long vacation. They stayed under the radar with their daughter and spent time as a family while they traveled and had fun.

Only three months later they ended their vacation. After a long discussion and several hours Yamada finally convinced Tenten to move to Kirigakure. However, while she had agreed to living in kiri with him, she still refused to take up the work of a kiri shinobi. She still kept up her training and she sparred with several people daily, but even if she kept in shape she did not want to work for Kirigakure. It seemed her loyalty for Konoha ran deep and was perfectly content with being a civilian in kiri.

The Mizukage had certainly tried to pressure her into working again though. After all, a shinobi of Tenten's caliber didn't just walk into the village every day. However, Yamada supported his girlfriend through it all and eventually Mei gave up.

As he thought of this Yamada slowly trailed his hand up and down her arm. His other hand was trapped in her own and judging from her grip he probably wouldn't be able to get free. Not that he wanted to either. He cherished moments like these where it was only the two of them. Even if she was asleep he still cherished it because in his experience one never knew when it could be all taken away.

He was broken away from his thoughts when he felt a familiar weight land on top of his midsection. Judging by Tenten's reaction said weight had found its way to her as well. He watched as a smile came over Tenten's face before her eyes opened.

Lifting his head, Yamada looked down at the giggling mess of a seven-year-old that was staring back up at him. Kumiko had also grown much over the years that passed. She had now grown to a height of 122 cm in height which was a great difference from when he first met her which was 85 cm high.

Her long brown hair that normally reached to her lower back was sprawled out over the end of the bed and her brown bright eyes seemed to light up the room all by themselves. Yamada couldn't help but to smile fondly at her. She was looking more and more like her mother every day and by the time she reached adulthood she would probably be a carbon copy of her.

His gaze then turned back to Tenten who had closed her eyes again, but he knew she wasn't asleep. The smile on her face gave her away and it seemed that Kumiko noticed it as well.

The girl got into a sitting position before she jumped at her mother's sleeping form. Tenten's eyes jolted open suddenly as she caught her daughter mid-leap earning her a squeal from the younger brunette.

"You thought you could surprise your kaa-chan did you?" She asked playfully as Kimiko's back hit the matrass. Moments later she was assaulted by a tickle attack from her mother.

"No! No stop!" She shouted between laughs as she helplessly battled her own mother. "Tou-san! Tou-san please help me!" She shouted and Yamada laughed loudly.

"You got yourself into this mess. I can't help you out every time." He responded with a smirk. He would have received a pout in return had Kumiko been able to give him one. However, in her current predicament there wasn't much she could do but laugh.

Eventually her face started turning red from laughter and Tenten finally started letting up on the tickling. She let her daughter catch her breath for a few moments before she nuzzled their noses together.

"Now you go and get ready for the academy or I'll have you training with your father later." Kumiko instantly turned white as a sheet in the face before she bolted out of the room. "I still don't understand what's wrong with my training program." Yamada said with a mock pout.

Tenten looked over at him and gave him a teasing smile. "You call it training, but normal people call it a day of torture darling." She said before she kissed him quickly and walked into the bathroom.

Yamada chuckled at that before he started getting dressed. "So what's your plan for the day?" He asked. "I'm going to meet Hinata today. She's visiting the village for once and I wanted to get some time inn with her." Came the response from the bathroom.

" _She's lying… she's betraying you."_ Yamada shook his head as the voice once again sounded in his head. _'Shut up, she's not doing that. I trust her completely.'_ He thought, but as normal he received no response.

The voice within his head was not Hasegawa nor was it anyone he could remember to have met. It appeared after the fourth war ended at the same day he came back from the dead. He did honestly not have any idea where it came from, but ever since he woke in the land of the living again it had been trying to mess with his head.

Saying something like that about Tenten was not the first time either, but each time he strongly denied it. He had tried on several occasions to look for any sort of clues to what it was, but he never found anything on it. He would have asked Hasegawa, but after the final battle of the war his soul had somehow disappeared from the sword.

"… Yamada! Yamada are you with me." Yamada jerked out of his thoughts as he looked up at Tenten's concerned expression. "Finally I got a response out of you. You were just standing there." She said with relief evident.

"What happened?" Yamada shook his head slightly to clear his head completely before he smiled at her. "Nothing, I was just lost in thought." He lied. He didn't want her to worry about something that was probably not that serious.

Unfortunately for him Tenten always managed to see through his lies. "What have I said about lying to me?" She asked in a dangerous tone. Then her look turned concerned again. "It's those dreams again, isn't it?" She asked.

Relieved he didn't have to tell her Yamada nodded. "Yeah, they're getting worse." That wasn't a complete lie. Tenten took the extra step forward and hugged him tightly. "I still think you should seek help." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"Nah, that's not necessary. They'll pass eventually." He said reassuringly. "You said the same thing four years ago." Tenten mumbled as she pulled away.

Instead of responding, Yamada finished dressing. "Say hi to Hinata for me will you. Mei has called me to her office so I might leave on another mission today." He said as he gave Tenten a quick kiss on the cheek.

Tenten sighed in resignation and nodded. "Well, be careful if that's the case." She said before she kissed him on the lips. "You know me, careful is my middle name." Yamada said as he gave a mock salute and disappeared out the door. Tenten snorted in amusement before she re-entered the bathroom to get completely ready.

Outside the room Yamada walked passed Kumiko's room just as she finished getting ready for the academy. Her long hair was now in a braid that she had placed over her shoulder. "You ready to go?" He asked as he leaned on the doorframe. The brunette nodded happily as she ran up and hugged her father.

"Tou-san, can you teleport us to the academy? Please?" She asked pleadingly. "You really love when I do that huh?" He asked as he ruffled her hair.

"Yes, yes so can you please do it? You owe me after you let kaa-chan torture me." Yamada had to chuckle at that. Something Kumiko managed perfectly was to look as adorable as possible even when she was trying to look angry.

"Sure, why not." He said and a moment later they disappeared.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"How typical of you. Always have to make an entrance." The voice that greeted them made Yamada smile. "Hey, it wasn't my idea." He retorted as he turned to meet the blonde behind him.

"Oba-san!" Kumiko squealed as she flew into the arms of her aunt. Yumi laughed loudly as she caught the girl and hugged her tightly. The blonde had, after she turned eighteen, immediately entered the education program to become an academy teacher.

Now a year after that she had passed the test and was now learning under a more experienced teacher who just so happened to be Kumiko's teacher. It was truly a rare coincident and had nothing to do with Yamada interfering at all. Nope, completely coincidental…

"I'll leave her in your hands then." Yamada said before he bent down and gave Kumiko a hug. "Now you be good as always." He said before he stood and gave Yumi a hug as well. "And you too." He added mockingly.

Yumi responded by sticking her tongue out at him before she led Kumiko towards the academy building. Yamada didn't waste much more time and immediately set off towards Mei's office.

He started walking off down the empty and quiet streets. Normally the streets would have been bussing with life, but not anymore. That time was long past, at least in that area.

When war once again broke out between the other four nations Mizu no Kuni stayed neutral and thus was the place for any and all refugees. It started off in smaller amounts from the smaller countries that were used as battlefields.

However, as the fighting spread they soon grew out of room in the smaller countries. Soon they were forced to do some of the battles on their own homelands which caused the refugee numbers to double almost overnight.

Shinobi were soon after that sent to handle the great masses and make sure the refugee camps were in order. Meanwhile the daimyo and his people worked as quickly as possible to make sure they all got citizenship before they were allowed to find themselves a home in Mizu no Kuni.

The stream of new citizens to Kirigakure was welcome at first, but as the years passed the village started getting cramped up. Not long after that Mei made the decision to build a second, outer wall around the city and forced the civilian population to move there. The inner ring became a place for the shinobi and their families alone to live while new structures where built in the outer ring. (If you didn't understand then just think of how it's set up in Attack on titan.)

Only a few shop owners were allowed to stay in the inner ring for the sole purpose of supplying the shinobi with food, weapons and other necessities. Because of the civilian population moving the streets became much quieter since the shinobi population much more preferred to go by rooftops since it was faster.

Yamada however, enjoyed the rare walk through the village streets. Normally if the shinobi wanted to relax they would just take a trip into the civilian part of the village, but Yamada enjoyed the new peace and quiet of the inner streets as well.

Unfortunately it wasn't long until he arrived at the Mizukage's tower and climbed his way to the office. Not long after Yamada appeared in the office that he had gotten pretty used to seeing. The same dark blue walls, the wooden floor and desk and the same auburn haired woman sitting behind said desk as always.

Mei hadn't changed much at all the last five years. Even though she was approaching forty years old she was still as beautiful as ever. Only if one looked closely than one would see minor wrinkles near the corners of her lips. Other than that her hair was also noticeably shorter, now only reaching her lower back.

The smile Yamada had been wearing when he entered the office soon disappeared. He could see from the look on Mei's face that this was something serious. She was leaning forward with her fingers intertwined and a serious look on her face.

Before her on the desk rested the hat of the Mizukage which yamada found weird. Normally it would hang on the wall or on the back of her chair; however he shrugged it off as nothing.

"You called for me Mizukage-sama." He said in a professional tone. "Yes I did. You see a couple of days ago I had a very important conversation with the daimyo." Yamada remembered that. Mei had gone to the capital to discuss something with the daimyo and his court, but he never learnt what.

"We talked for a while and halfway through the conversation we agreed upon something. That was that Kirigakure was in need of change in leadership." Yamada suddenly felt the need to glance down at the hat on the table. He could feel uneasiness creep up on him, but didn't dare interrupt her.

"He and I both decided that there is only one person that is qualified to replace me." Mei continued as she pushed the hat in his direction. "Congratulations Yamada." She finished as a small smile appeared on her face.

Yamada blinked owlishly a couple of times, his eyes flicking between the smiling woman and the hat. A moment later his eyes landed on Mei.

"Could you repeat that for me? I think I heard wrong."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten smiled at the guard as he opened the gate for her between the civilian outer ring and the shinobi inner ring. After the civilians were moved out of the inner ring there were no places there for people to enjoy themselves. It was strictly business in there and that was why she was on her way out now.

She was currently on her way to meet up with Hinata who had earlier that week said that she would be in the village for the day. She had asked the brunette to meet her at a certain café and Tenten had happily obliged.

She always preferred this side of the village. The inner circle had gotten much more dark and gloomy after the civilian population moved out. All the positive and happy people were moved out into the outer ring. The buildings of the outer ring were also a lot newer giving them a brighter look than the ones in the shinobi circle.

Tenten quickly made her way to the assigned place she was supposed to meet Hinata. She was almost giddy because it had been such a long time since she had last seen her.

About two years after the fourth war Naruto had decided to move from Kirigakure. He and Hinata moved together to an island that had been abandoned for several years. The couple together built themselves a cozy house on the island of what had been the country of Uzu no Kuni. Of course, they still lived under the rule of Mizu no Kuni, but that still didn't stop them.

"Hinata, how have you been." Tenten asked as she walked up and hugged her long-time friend. Hinata hugged her back with a huge smile on her face. "It's good to see you to Tenten. I've been great… actually more than great." She added the last part as she pulled back and looked down on her stomach fondly.

Tenten looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened. She noticed that there was a small bump on the shorter woman's stomach. "You don't mean you're…" She trailed off as Hinata blushed and nodded. "You're pregnant?" Tenten asked more herself than Hinata, before her face split with a smile.

"That's great Hinata!" She exclaimed as she hugged the slightly smaller woman. "How far along are you? Have you checked the gender? Is it just one or is it more? Have the two of you thought of names?" The questions fell out of Tenten's mouth faster than she could think them through.

Hinata however took all the questions with a smile. "I'm about 16 weeks along, no we haven't checked the gender, it's just one as far as we know and yes we have thought of names. We're thinking that if it's a boy we'll call him Boruto and if it's a girl we'll call her Himawari." Hinata answered softly.

"Those are nice names. Did you come up with them both or did Naruto?" Tenten asked as they finally sat down at a table. "Neither, we decided on them together." Hinata answered.

"Speaking of Naruto, where is he? I imagine that with you leaving your house he wouldn't let you travel alone." Hinata giggled softly at that. "No, he refused to let me travel alone and insisted on coming with me. We parted ways at the gate though so I don't know where he is now."

Meanwhile at the wall that separated the shinobi circle from the civilian one a blonde man stood over the unconscious body of a kiri shinobi. "Sorry pal, but I don't have time to go through the gates. I have a friend to visit." He said before he jumped into the shinobi district.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Mei I honestly don't think this is a good idea." Yamada said as he looked down at the hat that seemed much more menacing than before. "Then do tell Yamada, why isn't it a good idea?" Mei asked with an amused smirk on her face.

"Mizu no Kuni is on the brink of war remember. A change in leadership isn't really the greatest idea." Yamada was now looking desperately for a reason to not take up the position. He really didn't want to no matter what.

Mei kept her amused smile a moment longer before it disappeared. A long exhausted sigh escaped the kage's lips. "Listen Yamada, yes you're right, we're on the brink of war, but that's the exact reason I want to step down. The people don't trust me anymore, not after I forced the civilian population out of the inner ring. And the shinobi population, while they still trust me, doesn't respect me as much as they once did."

"Why wouldn't they trust you?" Yamada asked now actually confused. "Because of you. It's a kage's job to protect the village, but five years ago I didn't. It wasn't me who saved the village by saving the world." She paused there so that the words could sink in.

"You're the only right choice Yamada. The civilians look up to and adore you and the shinobi population has an undying respect for you after you saved most of them in the last war. You also have a lot of political power and the news of you taking over in kiri is sure to turn some heads in the other villages. Right now, choosing you as the next Mizukage is the only logical choice."

Yamada was silent for a good amount of time before he sighed. "There's no way for me to get out of this is there?" He asked to which Mei smirked and shook her head. "Don't worry though, I won't retire completely. I'll still do some missions now and then and I'll be available should you need advice." She reassured.

Yamada gave her an intense stare. "You do know what I'll do once I'm appointed. A lot of things will change including some of the laws that you have made." He said to which she nodded.

"I know, but I think that maybe it's needed. Many of the shinobi in this village has grown bold. Many of the clans as well. It is time someone put them in their place." Yamada nodded in agreement. As the years passed he had watched as their cockiness grew, especially in council meetings.

"Then fine, I accept the position." Yamada said hesitantly earning a nod from Mei. "Good, the news will be announced in the inner and outer ring tomorrow and from then you'll have a week to prepare for the ceremony." Just as she finished speaking a shinobi burst through the doors with a panicked look on his face.

"Some shinobi just broke into the inner circle Mizukage-sama! He's beating up everyone who tries to attack him. He keeps shouting he's looking for his best friend." Yamada felt his brow twitch.

"Tell me, does he have blonde hair and whiskers on his face?" Yamada felt the need to facepalm when the man nodded. "Let me take care of this." He said to Mei before he disappeared in a flash.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Yamada, where are you!" Naruto shouted as he kicked another shinobi in the face with minimal effort. Moments later he was suddenly kicked in the back of his head making him fly along the street. He landed face first into the ground and skidded along it until his head hit something extremely hard.

Shaking his head, he looked up behind him to see who had kicked. "You never learn do you?" Yamada asked as he offered his hand to the blonde. Naruto smiled in return as he took the offered hand and hauled himself up.

"And I see you haven't stopped training hard." Naruto responded dryly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Tenten calls it torture, but you can call it training if you want to." They both chuckled at that.

"So what do you think?" Yamada asked as he nodded to whatever Naruto's head had collided with. He looked up and saw a statue that was about just as large as the Mizukage tower. However, it was who the statue was off that shocked him.

"They made a statue of you?" Naruto asked in shock. "Yeah, apparently I've been upgraded from famous status to legend." Yamada joked as he looked at the statue. Even though he felt it was unnecessary it gave him a feeling of pride as well. After all, not everyone could say they had done something worthy of getting a statue of themselves.

"That's awesome!" Naruto finally shouted with a huge grin. Yamada hummed his agreement before he turned to face Naruto. "Anyways, what's your purpose of being in Kiri? I knew Hinata was supposed to be here, but I didn't expect you as well. Are you really that protective of her?"

"Of course I am! Especially now that she's pregnant!" Naruto shouted in return with a certain hint of pride. "She's pregnant? I honestly didn't expect that." Yamada said thoughtfully as he started walking towards the compound, completely ignoring Naruto who quickly caught up.

"That's your reaction? Really?" He asked in almost a disappointed tone. "Yeah, well I'm not really surprised. When you still lived in kiri do you know how many times I tried to visit only to stop right before I knocked because I heard some very… interesting noises?"

Now Naruto turned a deep shade of red. "In all honesty I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I mean you two have been going at it for how many years? And several times a day if I remember correctly."

Yamada continued to ramble on seemingly ignoring his long-time friend who was getting redder and redder in the face. However, on the inside Yamada was about to explode with laughter. He had really missed teasing the blonde like this. Even if he had gotten older, he still wasn't any more mature.

"W-we did not!" Naruto quickly tried to deny, but Yamada ignored him altogether. "I mean were you guys even using protection? It's actually a wonder that she wasn't pregnant years ago."

"Ok I get it!" Naruto shouted as he now felt the need to crawl under a rock and hide there. Yamada stopped walking to finally look at Naruto. The expression on the blonde's face was enough to break the dam. Yamada toppled over laughing, almost completely falling to the ground.

"The look on your face!" Was all he managed to get out before he continued laughing. Naruto, who had now realized he was being tricked the whole time, pouted angrily.

However, when Yamada never stopped laughing Naruto got annoyed and went in for a punch. His fist almost connected before Yamada disappeared from view.

The sound of his laughter reappeared behind the blonde where Yamada had teleported to. "Nice try, but it won't be that easy." Yamada said in between laughs as he dried away a tear of joy.

He walked over and patted his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Now even though I would love to fight, I can't right now. I've got a meeting to reach. If you want too then you can come along." Yamada offered.

Naruto begrudgingly nodded and the two set of walking. Yamada smirked a moment later. "But seriously though, the two of you were awfully loud back in the day."

All the way on the other side of the village one could hear the scream of an enraged and embarrassed Naruto.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"What are the field reports?" Tsunade asked. Before her stood Kakashi with a serious expression. His small book was nowhere to be seen. It was war-times after all.

The peace between the nations had only lasted one year before, in a surprising and shocking move; both Kumo and Iwa had declared war at the same day. Konoha had seen those amassing forces on their borders and had sent out forces to intercept, but they were still taken by surprise by the boldness of the move.

They had expected Kumo and Iwa to be just as weakened as they were after the fourth war; however it seemed their forces had replenished much faster than Konoha's own. They were easily pushed back and had almost been pushed all the way into Hi no Kuni territory before they finally managed to hammer out a deal with Sunagakure.

With the extra forces they had managed to stop the enemy advance, but had been at a stalemate ever since. However, Kakashi was not bringing with him good information.

"It's not too good news I'm afraid. Kumo have just received new reinforcements in Ta no Kuni and are pushing us backwards." Tsunade's fist connected with her desk in anger. "Where do they get them from?! They should be just as depleted as we are!" She shouted angrily.

"There is still a standstill against Iwa in Amegakure, but we're running out of supplies there soon. We'll soon need to pull the forces back." Kakashi continued. Tsunade's fist tightened before it dissolved. "We're fighting a losing battle." She muttered as she looked out the window.

"Indeed we are. If we're even hoping to have a chance then we need kiri on our side. They will be pressured into joining sooner or later. All we need to do is make sure they're on our side." Kakashi said seriously.

"I don't think there's much chance of that. Last time I spoke with Mei we didn't part on the friendliest terms." Tsunade said tiredly. "That may be true, but you shouldn't forget we have allies within kiri. Remember Tenten has been seen moving into the village. If she has any sort of contact with the Mizukage, then she might be able to convince her to choose our side."

"I doubt it. Mei is a very stubborn woman. She doesn't usually take advice from anyone." Tsunade responded. Kakashi's shoulders slumped as his gaze turned to the floor. "Well it's the only option we have."

Tsunade sighed, but nodded none the less. "Fine, we'll send her a message, but I doubt she'll be able to do anything." Kakashi nodded before he turned and started on his way out of the room.

As he exited out into the streets he was reminded again what the war had done to the village. Since the village had already been in a fragile state when the war started it was easy to assume that the start of a war only made it worse.

The economy was on the brink of collapse, the village had seen a lot of people leaving to live in war free countries and the all-around atmosphere in the village was depressing beyond belief. There were more beggars in the streets of the village than he ever remembered there being.

Several of the buildings looked worn down and some even looked like they were ready to fall over. The merchants in the streets had either a poor selection of wares or their wares were spoiled. Konoha was truly in horrible shape. Since the economy was on the brink of collapse they didn't have the money to pay farms for their wares.

Tsunade had tried convincing the daimyo to grant them more resources and it had worked, but only to a certain extent. Still, what Kakashi found the most suspicious was that Kumo and Iwa still seemed to be doing better than them.

Unless they were forcing farms to give them provisions, which he didn't doubt they did, there was no way they could be keeping up. Konoha's economy had been in better shape than both Kumo and Iwa before the war started. Now it seemed they were better off.

However they still were having trouble to break into Hi no Kuni. Had they had more access points then they would have been much more successful, but they couldn't do that. Kiri was holding several of the smaller nations that separated the bigger ones as allies.

Basically, Kirigakure and Mizu no Kuni were holding the key to winning the war. That didn't mean that there had been attempts to cross through these countries earlier in the war. However, those attempts had quickly been stopped by kiri shinobi that were stationed in those countries. Those that now tried to cross were immediately killed on sight and kiri would send out a warning to the nations that the crossers belonged too.

That was why kiri was essential for the completion of the war. They not only possessed the biggest military resources of the time, but also the biggest economy.

So as Kakashi arrived at his destination he had decided on something that could be crucial for the war effort. "I would like to send out two messages to different locations in Mizu no Kuni. Hokage's orders."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

In a dark room there was a chair with a man sitting in it. In front of said chair was a stand with five screens that displayed five different people. Above said screens there was a camera pointed at the man in the chair.

"How is the plan coming along." The man asked, the shadows covering his face from view. "Everything in Iwa is as ready as it can be." Came a female voice from one of the screens.

"Kumo is ready." Came a dead toned voice from the second monitor. "Konoha is getting desperate and are planning to appeal in every way possible to the Mizukage." Came a voice from the third screen. "Everything is set in Suna. The Kazekage doesn't suspect a thing." A fourth voice said.

The shadowed man nodded slightly before he turned to the final monitor. "How about Kirigakure? How are things going along there?" He asked the woman on the screen. "Better than expected. Hayato Yamada has just been told he's to be the next Mizukage. Everything is going according to plan."

"Then it's time we launch the final stage of our plan. You all know what to do." The shadowed man said before all screens shut off. "Ryouji…" He said as soon as the room went dark.

"Yes…" Said the blue-haired man as he appeared behind the chair. "You also know what to do." Ryouji looked at the back of the chair with a smirk. "Of course sir." He said as he backed up into the shadows.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As the next day came around so did the news that Yamada was to be the next Mizukage. To say that the news spread slowly would be a big and horrible lie seeing that by the end of the day the whole population of kiri knew.

However that was no concern of Yamada's. Why you ask? Well that was because he and his family had taken the entire day off to spend together far away from any sort of politics and missions.

They were already far outside the village taking a hike through nature. This day was decided on earlier in the week by Tenten and Yamada who both agreed on the fact that they all needed some time away from the village. They certainly could afford it.

That was why they were now walking towards a small, but beautiful location somewhere outside Kirigakure to have a full day just for the three of them. Yamada and Tenten walked side by side while Kumiko was running around ahead of them, behaving like a child was supposed to.

The two smiled fondly at their daughter. She was such an innocent soul which was why Yamada had been strongly against her starting the academy. He didn't want her purity to be destroyed by the shinobi world. However, when the girl wanted to herself, then who was he to deny her? Yamada was a big supporter of making one's own choices and if his little girl wanted to do something, then he wouldn't stop her no matter how much he disliked it.

However, this was not the time to be lost in such thoughts. At this time they were just supposed to have fun together as a family.

That was Yamada's thought process when Kumiko ran up to him and tapped his leg. "You've got it!" She shouted as she sprinted away. Yamada shot Tenten an amused smile before he started running off after the younger brunette.

He easily caught up with her, but didn't tap her on the shoulder just yet. He made his way around and reappeared in front of her. Kumiko squealed loudly as she fell on her behind. Quickly she scrambled to her feet and started running back.

Yamada followed behind her until they reached the highly amused mother whom Kumiko decided to hide behind. "Oh, no you don't." Tenten said as she picked up the younger brunette and held her forward. Yamada took the opportunity and stepped forward to tickle his daughter.

The girl squealed and laughed loudly as she was mercilessly tickled by both her parents. Yamada's tickling slowed down slightly as he looked at his family. This was truly a happy time for them. He himself hadn't been so happy in a very long time.

And yet there was this nagging in the back of his mind. There was something that told him that the happiness wouldn't last. That everything would once again fall apart.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews from the last chapter of book 2

Immatx

Dam, that's new! I inspired someone. Well usually my chapters are usually between six and eight thousand words. It all depends on how creative I'm feeling or if I want to end off a chapter at a specific time in the story. Sometimes chapters are even longer than that, but that is usually because of either the AN or there were a lot of reviews to answer. Anyways, I hope your story does well! Who knows, I might check it out.

A turkey

Well who doesn't like a little kinky stuff now and then ;)? Anyways, I'm glad my enthusiasm got you motivated. I probably will check out your story since I'm always on the lookout for a good read.

Guest

I believe a congratulations is in order then. :D

Cathyscloud9

Well you will have to wait no more!

Chance Green G King

Dam, it's harder to pat myself on the back than I thought… anyways, glad you enjoyed!

 **AN:** I'm so excited to finally be publishing this! I've waited two weeks since I wrote it and I'm so happy to finally have it published! Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

For a moment Yamada had forgotten where he was. After he woke up he had to spend a few moments in thought to remember where they were. Then he remembered the trip they had gone on.

They had arrived at a small lakeside, eaten, splashed around in the water some and then had fallen asleep together on a small blanket that was brought along for the picnic. However, something felt different. The weight of Kumiko's head resting on his and Tenten's arms was absent.

At first he didn't think much of it and just tried to fall asleep again. However, just to be sure he stretched out with his chakra to see if he could still feel her. Alarm bells started going off in his head when he didn't feel her in the area.

He then stretched out with his senses, hoping that she hadn't wandered too far off. When he finally found her chakra he, to his own horror, found another chakra right beside it. It was a chakra he didn't recognize and they were headed away from the clearing at shinobi speed which Kumiko had not learned to do yet.

He was immediately on his feet startling Tenten awake. However, he didn't wait to be questioned by her and simply set off in the direction he had felt the chakra. Tenten would quickly realize why he was in such a hurry anyways.

As he drew closer he activated the Sharingan he had acquired. He could see his daughter's chakra signature and the other guy was carrying her. His anger flared stupidly which gave away his position to the kidnapper.

The man, if it was a man, did finally notice Yamada's approach and from what Yamada could see he became panicked. He started making random obstacles in the way for Yamada to dodge which he did easily.

He was now close enough to almost touch the guy; he was now certain it was a man. However, just as he reached for him, the man jumped down and landed on the ground. He then held Kumiko, who was still asleep, in front of himself with a kunai to her throat.

"Don't come any closer or she dies." He said in a panicked tone. This was one of the moments Yamada was glad that Kumiko wasn't a light sleeper. If she woke up right now and realized what situation she was in she would be traumatized for a long time.

Yamada's anger flared as the man slowly backed up into a tree, keeping his back to it. "Come out." The man commanded, now with more confidence. Yamada jumped down and stared at the man, blood red meeting a weak green.

"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into. Just let the girl go and I promise you won't die… immediately." Yamada ground out. Truth was that he was barley containing himself. He wanted nothing more than to rip the man's throat out and feed it to him. However, he had to take a calm approach to this or he could potentially lose his one and only daughter.

"You think I'm stupid? I know who you are." The man said as his hand started drawing closer to Kumiko's throat. Yamada felt his anger well up again as purple chakra started floating around him. The man reacted on instinct and immediately slit the throat of the girl in his arms.

The moment he did so he suddenly started gurgling. His arm fell to his side and hung limply there. He looked on in horror as the girl right in front of him faded from existence and reappeared in Yamada's arms.

The blood soaked kunai fell limply from his hand as blood gushed out of his throat. Realization of what had just happened hit him just before the life left his eyes.

Yamada sighed as he cradled his daughter in his arms. The genjutsu had worked perfectly and the man ended up slicing his own throat. While he had been trapped in the genjutsu Yamada had walked over to him, removed his daughter from his grasp and checked his memory.

He was highly disturbed to find out that there was no memory to speak of. Only the orders of his mission was to find, nothing more. This was unnerving news to say the least.

He lifted his head when he heard the leafs rustle as Tenten landed besides him. "Thank god she's ok." She said as she sighed in relief. She quickly hugged Yamada and Kumiko lovingly.

That was the moment Kumiko decided to stir. "Tou-san? Kaa-chan? What's happening?" She asked sleepily. "Nothing sweetheart. We were just heading back to the village. You can go back to sleep, ok? Tou-san will carry you." Yamada said gently and forced a smile on his lips.

Kumiko gave a tired smile in return before her eyes slid closed again. Yamada looked at Tenten and she nodded before she grabbed his arm. A moment later they disappeared from view.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

After teleporting to the compound Yamada had put Kumiko in bed before he walked down stairs to join Tenten. Once she got word of what happened Yumi had hurried over as quickly as she could as well. They had also tried to inform Mei, but had not gotten any response from her.

"Who the heck could have the guts to attack you guys?" Yumi asked once he entered. "It has to be someone that knows that Yamada is alive." Tenten said earning a nod from the other girl.

"Well when I checked the guy's memory I found something peculiar." Yamada informed as he stopped in front of the window. "The man had no memory. The only thing in his head was his mission objective." He informed.

"Well that narrows the list down somewhat. But we still don't know who it is." Tenten said. "I've known of a few people that have had the ability to control people like that in the past. One of them I ensured was dead by myself; Obito. The second one is also dead or at least supposed to be dead. However, I wouldn't let it slip past Orochimaru to still be alive. And the third one…" Yamada trailed off as his eyes narrowed at whatever it was he was staring at outside.

"Well? Are you going to tell us?" Asked an impatient Yumi. Yamada turned away from the window to look at them. The look in his eyes told them off the fury and pain that waited whoever he was thinking off.

"Danzō…"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Your latest lab experiment malfunctioned Orochimaru." Danzō said as he stepped into the lab of the snake sanin. "A mere slip up in his… programing. Besides, he was only the prototype." The pale man replied.

"I found a way to revive you and I expect results." Danzō said with contained anger. "And results you will get. I will make your unbeatable shinobi and you will leave me in peace like our deal says." The snake sanin replied.

He was by no means happy to be working for Danzō. Sure, their cooperation in the past had been good entertainment, but Orochimaru was not a man… woman… thing to easily take orders.

"Very well, just make it quickly. I will need my new weapon in the nearest future." Danzō said before he turned and walked away. The moment he walked out of the room a brown-haired agent stepped up beside him and bowed. "Danzō-sama." He said lifelessly.

"Go check on your charge agent. She is going to be very useful in the foreseeable future." Danzō said, not even stopping to acknowledge the agent. Said agent bowed his head again before he walked down a hallway.

He soon arrived at a room with one sole prisoner within. Said prisoner had long black hair. She didn't look any older than she had looked five years earlier except the much longer hair. In her personal preference it was to be kept short, but she was not allowed near any sharp objects.

Shizune had lived five years in the cell and she was still stuck there. She had tried escaping several times, but was always caught. The base had been bigger than she first suspected it to be as she never quite reached an exit.

After her fifth escape attempt Danzō had grown irritated with her behavior and locked her up completely. The only way out of the room was an air went that was barely the size of her wrist. The door was still there, but was sealed and anyone trying to exit the room would suffer extreme damage from an electrical shock.

So for the last five years all Shizune had done was just lying in bed and sleep. She had nothing else to do. She couldn't even practice because her chakra was sealed off.

"How are you today Shizune-san?" Asked the agent as he entered the room. Shizune's head lifted from the pillow to look at him with a nod. "Agent Fuschida." She responded lazily.

The agent ignored her use of his name and simply crossed off on a list that she was alive. After taking care of Shizune for five years, the two had gotten a rather relaxed relationship. They weren't friends, far from it, but they knew each other well enough to know each other's name. Or in Shizune's case, his last name.

"How are you this morning Shizune-san?" He asked as he continued to write down on the clipboard. "Oh, you know, the usual; trying to find a way out." She responded mockingly.

The agent gave a short snort of amusement at that before he finished with the clipboard. "Danzō-sama says he will soon have use for you." He said after a moment.

"You're telling me this because…?" Shizune asked clearly confused. He had never indulged her in any of the happenings on the base. He usually just walked inn, filled out her clipboard, chatted a little with her and then walked out. This was entirely new for her.

The agent seemed to hesitate a moment. "Because I feel you deserve to know what he plans to do." He said with his back turned to her. "And what is that?" Shizune was now intrigued.

"Blackmail… he's using you as blackmail on the Hokage. I... I'm truly sorry about it." With that being said the agent exited the room before she could respond. However, Shizune was lost in her own thoughts as he exited.

' _Perhaps I'm getting through to him after all.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada almost regretted having returned back to kiri. Wherever he walked people congratulated him on the promotion. Had he been in a better mood he might not have thought it was that bad, but seeing as his daughter was almost kidnapped one couldn't really blame him.

He soon arrived in Mei's office where she was busy writing on some paperwork. "Yamada, how nice…" She never got any further because Yamada cut her off.

"How come a shinobi managed to sneak all the way up to the village and almost kidnap my daughter without being noticed?" He asked angrily. Mei blinked in surprise a couple of times before her eyes connected with his.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "We were enjoying our day off when a random shinobi with no village symbol tries to kidnap my daughter! What do you think I'm talking about? I thought you were keeping Kirigakure safe?!" Yamada's anger was not growing smaller to say the least.

"Yamada, calm down. I understand you're upset, but all the borders are being closely guarded along with the coast line. If someone sent someone after your daughter then they are set up somewhere inside Mizu no Kuni." Mei sternly replied.

"And how have someone managed to set up a base in Mizu no Kuni without us noticing?" Yamada responded through narrowed eyes. Mei's own eyes narrowed and she pushed her chair backwards violently as she stood. "Are you suggesting that I let someone set up a base in my own country?" She asked, a certain danger hidden within her tone.

Yamada kept his gaze on hers for a moment longer before he sighed and gave inn. "Sorry… it's just…" He tried to explain himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's just that she's your daughter and you don't want to lose her." Mei finished for him, her stern expression softening.

"Yeah…" He responded not sure what else to say. "Yamada look, I'll look into it, but there's not much I can do. Unless we have a lead that is." She said as she lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

Yamada was silent for a moment debating internally if he trusted her enough to tell her. _"She is not to be trusted. You cannot trust anyone."_ Yamada shook his head to get rid of the voice that once again bothered him. However it got him thinking.

Perhaps there was something in the accusation he had nearly dropped on her moments earlier. _"Yes, you realize it don't you? She cannot be trusted."_ The voice spoke again.

Yamada lifted his gaze and met Mei's eyes. "No, I have no idea who it could have been. I've made so many enemies over the years that it's impossible to determine." Mei nodded before she took her seat again. "Well, keep me updated if you can think of someone." Yamada nodded before he turned and walked out the door.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The rest of the week passed rather smoothly and it wasn't long until the day arrived where Yamada would become the Rokudaime Mizukage. This was one of the few times the gates between the inner and outer rings were ever opened for the civilians to cross back into the shinobi ring. The streets where back to how Yamada remembered them being before the fourth war and he loved it.

The main target for most of the people was of course the Mizukage's tower. It was atop said tower that the ceremony would take place. Yamada's current location was in the room that had a window facing out towards the streets. The millions of people that lived in kiri didn't seem to have enough space on the ground in front of the tower because the buildings around, on the roofs and in windows, were crowded with people.

"I have to admit, I was not expecting such a huge crowd." He muttered as he gazed upon the almost endless sea of people. Behind him he heard a very amused snort. "What? You expected them not to come and see the hero of the fourth great shinobi war be crowned as the leader of one of the five great villages?" Tenten asked with a good amount of amusement.

Yamada couldn't help but to let out a humorless chuckle. "I wonder how happy they are when they see the changes that will be happening." He muttered to himself so that Tenten didn't hear it.

As he scanned the crowd he spotted several people he recognized. Yumi's blonde hair wasn't hard to spot in a country where most of them had dark hair color. Besides Yumi was Kumiko who was watching the roof like a hawk, just waiting for her father to appear.

On her other side was Suigetsu who looked as bored as ever unless he was allowed to cut something that is. Chōjūrō and Haku were not to be seen, but with their positions within the village he couldn't really blame them. He couldn't see the Ozaki twins either, but that as well was expected.

He did spot Hinata and Naruto in the crowd. Naruto was chattering excitedly with random people about Kami knew what while Hinata merely smiled at the people they met.

There were still a few people that Yamada had wished would be there however. _'Kakashi-sensei… Yamato… what will your reactions be when you realize I'm alive? Misaki… would you have been proud of your adoptive brother? Kaa-chan… tou-san… I wish you could all be here.'_ He thought.

It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity he had been standing there gazing out over the people of the village. He heard the door behind him open and someone spoke before it closed. The next moment he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

"They are saying the ceremony is beginning." Tenten said as she rested her head on his back for a moment. "I'm going to go down to your sister and join here there. You should probably get going." When she got no answer Tenten pulled away from him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked as she turned him around. "Just thinking… about those that couldn't be here for this." Yamada muttered as he straightened up. Tenten understood and immediately pulled him inn for a kiss.

"I'm sure that they're proud of you Yamada. Everyone is proud of you." She whispered to him, their lips barley separated. "Thanks." He replied as his lips quirked upwards slightly.

Tenten kissed him again before she pulled back. "No problem _Yama-kun._ " She said teasingly. "Now go ahead and get to the ceremony." She added before she exited the room.

Yamada chuckled to himself before he straightened out the robes he had been forced to wear. _'I don't care what anybody says. I'm not wearing these unless I'm forced to.'_ He thought as he uncomfortably shifted on the clothing.

As the white and dark blue material settled in a bearable position Yamada made his way to the stairs that led to the roof of the tower. At the base of said stairs he met Mei who was wearing a broad smile. _'She's just happy she won't have to do paperwork anymore.'_ Yamada thought grumpily.

"Are you ready for this?" Mei asked as he stopped besides her. "If I was ready then I wouldn't have tried to run now would I?" Yamada responded sarcastically. Mei sighed before she smacked the back of his head with her palm.

"Will you stop being so negative? There aren't just responsibilities with the position of Mizukage." She said in a scolding tone. Yamada wanted to give a snide remark in return, but stopped himself. _'It isn't wort it.'_ He thought as he sighed.

"Can we just get this over with?" He asked almost pleadingly. "Fine, did you at least prepare a speech?" Mei asked with a sigh. "Nope, I'm going to improvise." Yamada grunted in reply.

Before Mei had the chance to scold him again he had already started ascending the stairs. With a sigh of frustration she caught up with him and gave a small glare at him before they were exposed to the masses at the bottom of the tower.

It seemed Yamada at least had some pride as he straightened his back and squared his shoulders before they walked out to the edge of the fenced roof. The moment they were spotted a roar of applause hit them before Mei had the chance to speak. It was louder than anything Yamada had ever heard before.

As the roar slowly died down Mei finally got the chance to speak. "It has been an honor to serve as your Mizukage. In my time we made the village prosper once again and lifted it up from the ashes Yagura had left it in. Now, as I stand here before you, I can proudly say that I fulfilled my promise to you all when I first took this position. Not only have we reclaimed our honor, but we've climbed to become the strongest of the five great villages! With that I have fulfilled my promise of restoring Kirigakure to its former glory!"

A roar of approval erupted from the crowds as the people celebrated her words. Mei lifted her hands and silence once again settled over the masses.

"As I now have reached my promise, I feel that there is nothing else I can offer this village as its leader. That is why I now, with great pride, appoint Hayato Yamada as the Rokudaime Mizukage!" She announced loudly and the cheers rose to almost unbearable heights.

As she finished speaking, Mei turned to the old man that was standing a few steps behind them. She bent down to one knee and presented the hat to the old man who took it off of her head. It was tradition in Kirigakure that the oldest and wisest person in the village would be the one to give on the torch to a new kage. Normally that was the previous Mizukage, but since Mei was still very young it was easily found a retired shinobi who was several times older than her.

As the hat was removed from Mei's head the old man took the few steps necessary over to Yamada. Yamada did his role perfectly as he kneeled down on one knee in front of the older man. The crowds quieted as the man lifted the hat in his hands up to Yamada's head.

"I hereby name you the Rokudaime Mizukage!" He said as he placed the hat on Yamada's head. The moment Yamada rose and faced the crowd the cheers returned. However the chairs didn't last as Mei once again called for silence. "The Rokudaime will now speak to his people."

Yamada would be lying if he said he didn't feel nervous in front of the crowds. If the whole village had actually arrived for the passing of the kage hat then there would be over two million people listening to him. However, looking like an idiot on his first day would not do him anything good.

"You know, when I was younger I never thought I would be chosen as the youngest Mizukage to ever have been chosen." He started off trying to keep the mood light. "He always said I was meant for great things, but I don't think he expected this." This earned a few chuckles from the crowd.

"But here I am, Rokudaime Mizukage and left in a very delicate position on the brink of war." His features hardened for what he had to say next. "I'm not going to lie here; war is inevitable." He stated and a few gasps were heard.

"The pressure grows each day and soon I will be forced to make a decision… However, I know something I can promise you! Even if we go to war I will promise you that the war will never reach the gates of this village! Kirigakure has stayed a peaceful village for so long that I refuse to let the misery of war get to its gates!" Applause was heard.

"And another thing I can promise you! By predecessor says we have reached our former glory and she's right. However I plan on taking it even further! When I am done with this village there will be nothing that can threaten us!" The roar of approval rose more and more as he spoke.

"Kirigakure will be known as the crown jewel of, not only Mizu no Kuni, but of the entire world!" the roar of applause rose beyond what it had been before as the crowds thundered in approval. On his right side, Mei leaned in closer to whisper in his ear.

"Not bad speech for being improvised."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

After the speech Yamada was finally allowed to get down from the roof… only to be ushered into his office. "Now that you're done with that I need to inform you of the rest of your schedule of the day." Mei said as she closed the door behind them.

"First you will have to go through with the first meeting with the council. They will have an opening meeting with you. It's nothing big, really, just a formality." Yamada nodded as he leaned into the palm of his hand with a bored expression. _'Is it too late to change my mind?'_ He idly wondered.

"Then tomorrow you will have to go to the capital where the daimyo will formally recognize you as the Mizukage. This is also important seeing as he is the only one that is above you in rank. Then the day after that you will return and start your duties." She finished.

"Doesn't sound too bad." Yamada said as he stood from the chair. "Wait, you're on the council now right?" He asked which received a nod in return. "Yes, since I am the leader of a clan I will be on the council." She responded.

"Good then you have something to look forward to as well." He said with a smirk. Mei lifted an eyebrow at that. She didn't like the expression Yamada was wearing. It reminded her of a lion that had trapped its target.

"What are you plotting?" She asked almost hesitantly. Yamada's smirk grew as he turned his back to her. "Let's just say that I'm going to put the council in their place." He said ominously.

"When is the meeting anyways?" He asked as he leaned on the desk. "It's in a little while. While you wait though, I think there is someone who wants to meet you." Mei said as she opened the door.

Immediately a brown haired rocket shot through the door. Yamada barely managed to turn around before he had to catch an ecstatic Kumiko from crashing into him. "Hey there hime." He said as he caught her.

"Tou-san, you were great!" She shouted. "But since you are the leader now… does that mean that I can get all the sweets I want?" She asked with puppy eyes. "What was that?" Kumiko stiffened before she jumped out of Yamada's arms and hid behind him. "Nothing…"

Tenten chuckled as she entered the room after her daughter. "That's what I thought." She said before she walked up and gave Yamada a quick kiss. "You were great." She said with a smirk he returned.

"Not bad nii-san. You certainly got everyone riled up." Yumi said as she entered next. "Well that is kind of in my job description." He replied sarcastically, but smiled none the less.

"Yamada, council meeting remember?" Mei asked from her spot by the door. Yamada groaned and hung his head. "What are you? My secretary?" He grumbled as he walked towards the door.

"You wish." Was the dry reply before the door was closed after them.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada watched as the clan heads slowly filled in to the room. He had thought out his next move carefully and knew exactly what reactions he would receive from the most of them. Some of them would accept it easily while others would have some problems with it.

After the village was split into the two circles the civilian representative had been given the new title as representative of the outer ring. It was to let the civilians keep an eye on what was happening within politics of the village as well as the inner ring, although they never got to know half of the stuff in reality.

"Good everyone is here. So… what exactly is supposed to happen here today?" He asked once everyone had settled. He already knew what was supposed to happen, but wanted to play the role of fool just to surprise them later.

"What happens now is that you will tell us of any future changes you plan on making to the village and we will tell you our opinions." Came the response from Mei. "Oh right, well I do have one thing in mind. In fact I would like that to be taken into effect immediately." He said.

This earned intrigued glances from all over the room. Yamada smirked when he saw the suspicious look on Mei's face out of the corner of his eye. He knew this would not only surprise her, but the rest of the council. Heck, some of them would be shocked or even angered. However, Yamada felt it was needed that the village was to be ruled correctly once again.

"I hereby from this day forth disband the council of Kirigakure no Sato. Your services are no longer needed. This change is to be taken into effect immediately and I ask all of you to leave the room immediately."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews:

Immatx

Glad you're just as excited as I am! I can't wait to share the rest of this story with you guys and I really hope you all enjoy it!

Hakimcoombs

It's simple. We kill the batman.

… Get the reference? I'm sorry I just watched the dark knight again. Anyways, I'll do what I have to do which is to create my own storyline!

Guest

You think? I think the month went by too slowly!

 **AN:** So I was planning to ask; do any of you guys want to draw some fan art? I think it's time we put a cover image onto the story. I never got around to finding anything good so I thought; why not ask one of the readers? None of you have to, of course. It's all up to you guys if you want to do it or not. I would really appreciate it though and if your drawing becomes the new image I'll give you a shout out on my profile and in the next chapter.

Another thing I wanted to talk about was doing a little side project. It will be something I will be updating once a month or something like that. Now don't worry because it will not affect my weekly update of this story. It will merely give me a little more to do in the passing days. School has been really lax lately and I don't need to work anymore to get the money I need for the rest of the schoolyear. So what do you guys think? I really want to make it work, but I want your input on it. And what would you like to see as a side project if I were to do it? PM me or leave a review to tell me your opinion. Or just… you know, not give a dam. I won't blame you. ;)

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"What is the meaning of this?!" The civilian council member shouted. His expression was outraged which matched several of the other members' faces as well. Yamada on the other hand had a calm and collected expression as he looked at each individual in the room.

"You cannot just disband the council and think that is that." Another voice continued in a more controlled manner. Yamada looked at the speaker a raised an eyebrow. "And why not? I'm the Mizukage am I not? Last time I checked this was supposed to be a dictatorship."

"True as that may be, the council still has an important position within the village system." Yamada gave a dry chuckle at that. "You say that yet I don't see any of you managing the paperwork around here. Besides, nowhere in the law does it state that the council is mandatory. It says, and I recite; it is the Mizukage's choice whether or not a council is needed to manage the village."

"But what about the civilians? They will not accept that I am thrown out of inner politics! They will demand to know what is going on!" The civilian raged on. Yamada seemed to have gotten enough as he slammed his hand into the table.

"The civilians will have to wait as this is a shinobi village. Its main focus is military power and in case you had forgotten; we're on the brink of war." He then turned to address the rest of the council. "I am the Mizukage and I am supposed to be the supreme power in this village second only to the daimyo. My word is basically law so don't come here and think you can stop me! This council has grown too bold and now you pay for it! Now leave this room!"

There was a stunned silence as Yamada finished speaking. No one dared speak up because he spoke with such authority that it was hard to defy him. There was a tense moment as Yamada gave each and every one of them a glare. Then one of them seemed to manage to rip themselves out of the shock.

"Very well, Mizukage-sama." Mei said as she stood up. Her face was impassive and so was her voice. In that moment Yamada knew he would be confronted by her later for this. "I will trust you to handle the village by yourself." She said with a bow.

The others soon followed until it was only the civilian left. He finally stood with rage filled expression. "You have not heard the last of me!" He said before he stormed off. The rest of the former council left after him in an orderly fashion.

Yamada waited a moment before he stood and walked out as well. Outside the room he was not too surprised to meet Mei with a skeptical expression. However it was the other person outside the room that caught his attention.

"Get started on that project we spoke of. I want this room in tip top shape as soon as possible." He said to the man who nodded before he entered the room. "What was that all about?"

Yamada turned to Mei and gave her a small smile. "That's confidential." He said. "Well anyways, what are you planning? I knew you had big plans, but isn't this going a bit far?" The auburn haired woman asked.

"What, you said it yourself. The council needed to be put in place and that is exactly what I did. I reminded them that I'm in charge and they're not." Yamada explained matter-of-factly.

Mei sighed and shook her head. "I hope you know what you're doing. It is a dangerous game you're playing." She said seriously. Yamada detected a warning in her words and made note of taking it seriously.

On the outside however, he looked as carefree as ever. "Of course I know what I'm doing. You wouldn't give me this job otherwise." He said, waving it off casually.

"Now if you don't mind, I have a meeting to get to."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Moments later Yamada found himself seated in the office, his office. It was still too weird to think that it was his office. The thought alone was weird in itself. He never would have thought he would actually be sitting in the Mizukage's office and calling it his own.

As he thought this his first appointment of the day arrived. The person was obviously female. If the long black hair wasn't enough of a giveaway, the sizable chest was another. Said person kneeled before Yamada with her head bowed. Her face was obstructed by the mask that signified the hunter-nin division.

"Mizukage-sama." Greeted the feminine voice. "It's been a long time since last time we spoke." Yamada muttered as the hunter-nin righted herself. Yamada didn't need to see her face to know that a small gentle smile was playing on her face right in that moment.

"Indeed Mizukage-sama, it seems we've both been busy." She responded making Yamada raise an eyebrow. "What's with the title? Come on Haku, we're friends aren't we? You don't need to call me by title when it's just us. And remove that mask too while you're at it." He said.

"You never change Yamada." Haku said as she removed her mask, a soft smile gracing her features. "Neither do you." He responded with a smirk. His expression then turned serious as he leaned forward in his chair.

"I assume you know why I called you here." It was a statement and Haku did indeed know exactly why. "Yes…" She said with a nod. "Good, then you know what I'm going to ask. Mei's idea of organizations that operated on their own was a fine one, but one I disagree with completely. I want the hunter-nin division to once again be under the command of the Mizukage." He paused as he folded his arms.

"As the leader of the hunter-nin division, I need you to swear loyalty." Haku simply gave a gentle smile. "You know if anyone else asked me to do that I would have denied." She said as she bent down on one knee.

"I've always been loyal to you Yamada. You saved me when no one else would have. I owe you my life and that's why I swear loyalty to you." Originally Yamada was going to get a little more documentation than that, but just from the devotion in her voice he could tell that she wasn't going to betray him.

"I'm glad you feel that way." He responded honestly. "I will want a monthly report of everything that happens and how it happens. You will come back and once again be funded by the village instead of having to look for your own funding."

"That is actually something I look forward to. It's been a real problem looking for funding with the number of missing-nin decreasing." Haku said with a dry chuckle. "Hey, the Hayato clan funded you for a while." Yamada defended with a smirk.

"For a while yes, but we almost went bankrupt after that." Haku shot back. "Well now you won't have to worry about that." Yamada said as he retrieved a paper slip and wrote something down.

"One last thing before you go." He said as he finished writing and handed the paper to her. "This is the address to your new headquarters. It should be possible to find." Haku took the paper and looked over the address.

"This place doesn't even exist." She said as she looked up at him accusingly. "Oh it does, it's just… well hidden." Yamada said mysteriously. "Besides, you're a hunter-nin. You're supposed to be an expert at finding what's not really there." He added with a sly smirk.

Before Haku could protest there was a knock on the door. "Mizukage-sama, your next appointment has arrived." Came the voice of the secretary. "Looks like you will have to leave now Haku. Well talk later." Yamada promised as the secretary closed the door.

Haku nodded before she replaced her mask over her face and disappeared from the room. Yamada leaned back in his chair to release a quiet sigh. This meeting had gone better than he expected, but it was the next one he was worried about. It would be a lot more difficult.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Was Yamada supposed to join us?" Naruto asked as the food arrived. He, Hinata, Tenten and Kumiko had gone to a restaurant to celebrate Yamada's new position. Well, that had been the intentions in the beginning, but Tenten had the feeling that he wouldn't be joining them and they decided to order their food.

"Not likely. He kept saying he had big plans for the village so I probably won't see him until much later today." Tenten responded as she picked up a piece of her food. "But I never got the chance to congratulate him." Naruto whined as he broke apart his chopsticks.

"Just eat your ramen Naruto-kun." Hinata said gently. Tenten found their actions adorable, but was suddenly distracted by her daughter. She was met with a little brown-haired girl that had wet hair and a now empty soup bowl on her head.

"Kumiko darling, what happened?" Tenten asked as she quickly set down her own food to take the bowl off of Kumiko's head. The girl chuckled slightly as she tried to dry her wet hair. "I kind of made the soup fly?" It sounded more like a question than anything else which made Tenten sigh.

Still she couldn't help the amused smile she adapted on her lips. She wasn't overly concerned for her daughter at that moment. Something the girl had developed in early age was a high pain tolerance. Her late development on more or less everything had her hurting herself on more than one occasion and she eventually got used to the pain.

However, that didn't stop Tenten from worrying every time something did happen. "Honestly Kumiko, you need to be more careful." Tenten scolded lightly as she dried off her daughter. Kumiko had the decency to look embarrassed as her gaze averted downwards.

"Watch and learn Hinata. This will happen more than once when you have your child." Tenten added as she glanced at her friend. A wry smile spread her lips. "Especially since it's Naruto's kid."

"What? What is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto roared. "Um… that wasn't very nice Tenten." Hinata said as she tried her hardest to quell the laughter that made its way through her.

Naruto looked at Hinata with a crestfallen expression. "Hinata-chan… you're supposed to be on my side." He whined loudly. That was it for Hinata as she let the giggles roll out of her mouth.

Naruto's head crashed into the surface of the table which in turn caused the two other people at the table to laugh. As they quieted down they settled into a comfortable silence as they are their food.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"I am pleased that you came ANBU commander." Yamada said calmly as he watched the man with a critical eye. The hooded and masked man stood from his bow staring right at Yamada.

"I didn't have much of a choice when it's a direct summon from the Mizukage." Replied the man with a neutral voice. Yamada nodded his head as he leaned back in his chair.

"You're a smart man ANBU-san so you should be perfectly capable of telling why you're here." The ANBU made no indication that he even heard Yamada speak. He just held eye contact for a long time.

Finally he sighed. "Yes I do, and I suppose I don't really have a choice in the matter." He said as his shoulders slumped. "Not if you want to keep your position." Yamada said with a neutral expression.

"Well… I have heard that there is a position open as academy principal now." He said which actually surprised Yamada. "Wait, you're giving up your position?"

"Of course, if things are to be as they once were then there can be no ANBU commander. Back in the days the ANBU answered directly to the Mizukage. For things to be like that again I will have to swear the ANBU's loyalty to you and then resign." The shadowed figure explained.

As he spoke Yamada had an increasing feeling of knowing the person. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was telling him that he knew the person before him. "To resign you will have to deliver your mask to your superior." He said calmly.

"You can do that now if you'd like." He added. A chuckle was heard from behind the mask. "You just want to know who I am." The person said clearly amused. "Yeah, well I never really got to learn your identity." Yamada defended.

Instead of answering the person reached up to pull down his hood. The next he did was pull of his mask. "So that's what you've been keeping secret from us Chōjūrō." Yamada said with a smirk.

In the years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Chōjūrō had grown noticeably taller and developed a firmer jawline with some chin stubble. He started wearing glasses with thicker frames and the ear-protectors he wore changed design. He retained his overall attire, at least when he appeared in public, but the straps of his sword-holster now only covered his left shoulder. Chōjūrō now also wore his light-grey pants without the dual shuriken holsters.

"Well, it was in the job description." Chōjūrō joked with a grin. "So you're really going to give up your career?" Yamada asked changing the subject. "Not my career, but my time in ANBU is over. It was fun while it lasted though."

Yamada nodded as he received the mask and pushed a document in front of Chōjūrō. "I'll still need you to sign this. Just to be sure." Chōjūrō nodded in understanding and quickly signed the paper.

"There, now about that open position in the academy."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada arrived back at the compound with a tired sigh. He had very recently realized that making all of his plans come to light in one day was one heck of a job and had given up in favor of actually getting some sleep before he had to visit the daimyo.

As he entered the home he was met with a wonderful smell from the kitchen. Taking off his shoes, Yamada followed the smell until he entered the kitchen.

Tenten was standing before the stove and Kumiko was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. On said stove there was a delicious looking meal that Tenten seemed to be very focused on. She was in fact so focused that she didn't hear Yamada enter before Kumiko saw him.

"Tou-san, you're home!" The younger brunette shouted as she ran up to her father and hugged him around the waist. Yamada quickly bent down and wrapped his own arms around her again.

"Hey there hime, how are you?" He asked as he ruffled her hair. "I'm great! There's this new drawing I want you to see! Come one!" She said as she started pulling on his hand.

"Take it easy, I'm coming." Yamada said with a laugh as he walked over to the table. Once there he looked down at the sheet of paper displayed proudly in front of him. "It's not finished yet, but I wanted you to see it!" Kumiko said happily as she sat down in her chair again.

The picture was of two older looking people and a younger girl. The three were having fun at the side of a lake together. Yamada was quick to realize that it wasn't just any three people, but him, Tenten and Kumiko from their small trip one week ago.

This brought a smile to his lips as he ruffled Kumiko's hair. "It's beautiful hime. I think you're going to be an artist in the future." He said softly. "Na-ah, I'm going to be a shinobi just like you and kaa-chan." Came the defiant response.

Yamada's smile almost faltered, but he managed to keep it in place. "If that is what you want then." He said before he kissed her forehead. He then stood up and walked behind Tenten and snaked his arms around her from behind.

"That smells lovely. You've really gotten the hang of cooking." He muttered into her neck. "It better smell lovely. I used a lot of time and energy on making it." She said playfully as she swatted at his hand.

"Well I can't wait to share it with you." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Oh, we've already eaten. We went out with Naruto and Hinata for dinner while you were still at the office." Tenten explained as she lifted the food off the stove and walked off to put it on a plate.

" _She's lying! She's having an affair behind your back!"_ Yamada frowned at the voice. Never in his life would he have thought that was true. "I see… well then more food for me. I'm starving." Yamada said as he walked over to the table.

He sat down and supported his head on his folded hands. While he was waiting for Tenten to finish his food he was trying once again to find out what the voice was. Was it a part of his subconscious or was it simply a part of his imagination?

" _Oh I am far more than your imagination."_ Yamada abruptly stood from his chair when he heard the voice answer him. Never had they interacted at all before. The voice had just said a few sentences and then disappeared, but it was different this time.

"Yamada, are you ok?" Yamada found himself turning to look at Tenten. The brunette had lifted an eyebrow in a questioning way, but there was also an underlying alertness in her eyes. "I… I umm…" He stuttered as he quickly shuffled out from behind the table.

"I just remembered that there's something I need to do." He quickly explained as he hurried out of the kitchen. He already knew that Tenten had seen through the lie, but he didn't have the time to confront her about it now. He needed to meditate.

Tenten watched with a frown as Yamada hurried out of the house. This was strange behavior for him. She had been startled when he suddenly just stood up from the chair he was sitting in.

When she had turned to him she had noticed that he had gone white as a sheet which was never a good sign. And he had stuttered. Now if there was one thing Tenten had learned then it was that Yamada never stuttered unless he was thoroughly frightened.

"Kaa-chan, where did tou-san go?" Kumiko asked in a small voice. Tenten turned to look at her daughter and was met with a confused glance. "I don't know sweetie, but I'm sure that it was something important."

' _It dam well better be for making me worry.'_ She added within her mind. She then took her daughter's hand and led her towards the stairs. "Come on now, it's late and time for bed."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada arrived in the small shrine he had built a few years ago. In the middle of said shrine there was a pedestal where his sword usually rested, however, that was not the reason he was there this time.

He always found the place easier to meditate in. He didn't know why, but the place was so calming that he couldn't find any better place to meditate in Kirigakure. So with that in mind he sank down onto his knees and placed his hands loosely on top of them and closed his eyes.

At first nothing happened. A lot of time passed where he just sat there and tried to contact whatever the voice within him was coming from. Minutes turned to hours before Yamada finally decided it was pointless to just sit there.

Sighing, he opened his eyes and was about to get up. However, he stopped in his tracks when there was a figure before him, watching him. "What the hell…" He muttered as he stood up.

"Relax; I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted." The figure spoke. "That voice…!" Yamada muttered as his eyes widened. He recognized that voice anywhere. The same voice that had tormented him in five years straight now.

"Ah so you recognize me." The figure seemed pleased with itself. Yamada narrowed his eyes at the figure. "What do you want from me?" He asked dangerously.

"Whatever do you mean, Yamada?" The figure asked. "You know dam well what I mean! Why have you been tormenting me all these years?! Who are you?!" The anger within the words seemed to have no effect what so ever at the figure.

"Yamada…" The seriousness in the voice of the figure caught Yamada of guard. So far the voice had been playful, but it now took on a serious note. "I have only been trying to help you so far."

Yamada had to let out a dry laugh at that. "And how have you been helping me? By making me doubt my family and friends? Somehow I don't find that helpful." He spat angrily.

"What most I do to prove it to you?" The figure asked seriously making Yamada snort. "Tell you what; if you remove my nightmares then I might consider that you're speaking the truth." The reply was so full of sarcastic and bitter humor that had it been anyone else they would have flinched.

However the figure merely nodded its head. "Then that is what I will do." The moment the last words reached Yamada's ears the being was gone and he was alone in the shrine. _'Hopefully it won't bother me again.'_ Yamada thought as he walked out of the shrine.

It was probably past midnight when he returned to the house. All the lights where off which indicated that Tenten had gone to bed already. As silently as possible he made his way up the stairs.

When he reached their room he opened the door only to find Tenten seated at the end of their bed with her arms crossed over her chest. _'I'm so in trouble.'_ Was Yamada's first thought when he saw the expression on her face.

"I can… well actually I can't explain." Yamada said after a moment of thought. "Oh really?" Tenten asked in a tone that said she really wasn't in a good mood.

"Look Ten-chan, I'm really sorry about skipping dinner and worrying you. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Yamada asked as he carefully approached her. Tenten sighed as she beckoned for him to come closer.

"Look Yamada, you've been acting stranger and stranger this past week. I'm very worried about you, you know. Just know that if you need to talk about anything at all then I'm here for you." Yamada stopped in front of her and Tenten got to her feet to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know I had worried you so badly, but there's really nothing to worry about. It's just the pressure that's been getting to me, you know." Yamada replied with a confident grin. Tenten sighed, but smiled at him none the less.

"Well, my suggestion will stay open if you ever change your mind." She said before she leaned up and kissed him, muting whatever reply he was planning on making. Yamada didn't hesitate to kiss back. In fact he actually pushed her back onto the bed.

"Jeez what's gotten you into the mood?" Tenten asked playfully as they separated. "I don't know. Maybe it's my way too beautiful girlfriend here." Yamada responded before he started nibbling at her neck.

"You know we never properly celebrated your promotion _Mizukage-sama_." Tenten purred suggestively. Yamada lifted his face from her neck and grinned predatorily.

"Well we can't have that now can we? Would you like to celebrate with me Ten-chan?" Tenten returned the smirk with her own as she wrapped her legs around him. "I'd love to."

(sorry I wasn't in the mood to write a lemon here.)

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next morning Yamada found himself situated back in his office. He was just finishing up some final documents when he heard movement. "Good, the two of you are here." He said as he signed another document to place on the side.

Before him in a kneeling position were two figures, one girl and one boy. They were both extremely similar except for the masks that covered their faces. They were dressed like regular ANBU, the key difference being the swords that were on their backs. They both had one each of a set of twin swords.

Haru and Haya had changed greatly in the past years. After the twins found out their parents had been killed in the last war they closed themselves off and they became inseparable. Neither of them went anywhere without the other no matter what in fear of losing whatever family they had left.

In the latest years there had been rumors circulating about them becoming closer than family should be. People were beginning to think they were having an incestuous relationship. Since neither of the twins denied this publicly people started to think it was true and treated them with disgust if they were ever spotted in public.

However there was one person they were willing to open up too besides themselves. That someone was sitting behind the desk in front of them at that moment.

After the war Yamada had felt slightly guilty for the parents' death and had done his best to support and help the twins. This had earned him their undying respect and loyalty. He had also helped the two in their training and helped them all the way to their current position which was at the top of the ANBU.

The two seventeen-year-olds both looked up at Yamada awaiting his orders. "As you know I'm headed out of the village today to the capital. Now I don't really need it, but people are insisting I take guards with me."

The two instantly seemed to understand what Yamada wanted as they both stood up. "We will protect you with our lives Mizukage-sama." Haya said eagerly.

"That's good, but I wasn't finished." Yamada said with an amused smile. "It is tradition that the Mizukage appoints a personal guard that is supposed to guard him at all times. I want that to be the two of you." He said seriously.

"There is no one else I can think of that would be more perfect for the position. There's no one else I trust more in the ANBU than the two of you. So what do you say?" Yamada asked as he watched the two. The two shared a look and a silent conversation seemed to be going between them.

They then turned back to Yamada and nodded their masked heads. "We would be honored Mizukage-sama." Haru spoke with much more control than his sister. Yamada smirked at that as he got up from his chair.

"That's great." He said as he extended his hands. The two teens grabbed his hands to shake. A moment later they disappeared from the office.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Moments later they appeared in the capital. "Wha! How the…" Haya trailed off as she looked around and was suddenly surrounded by huge buildings on all sides. "I said I was going to the capital today." Yamada said seriously.

"Now come on and get into hiding. I didn't give you the position to just stand there in the open." He scolded. The two quickly apologized before they hurried into hiding.

Once he was sure they couldn't see his face Yamada couldn't help but to smile in amusement. _'This is going to be so much fun!'_ He then lifted his gaze towards the palace that was not far away at all.

It looked just as magnificent as the last time he had been there. Only the last time he had a hero's welcome because of his efforts in the war. With a small smile he slowly started making his way towards the palace.

"I wonder how the daimyo is. It's been a long time since last time."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Deep within Yamada's subconscious another pair of eyes watched through his own. They narrowed as they looked over at the bound man not far from her within Yamada's mind. **"You won't get away with this!"** The old man shouted as he struggled against his binds.

"Shush it Hasegawa. You are in no position to be saying that." The figure said as they refocused on what it could see. _'I'm finally getting through to him. It took some time, but I think he's starting to trust me.'_ The figure thought as a smirk played on its lips.

It had been working restlessly for the last five years to get under Yamada's skin, to trick him into believing it. Now it seemed it was finally making progress.

' _I will have my revenge on you Hayato Yamada. Mark my words…'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Guest

That's totally ok my friend. If it's any help; I can't draw to save my life either.

Hakimcoombs

Oh, ok thanks! Did the batman quote give you the idea of giving me the rights for the story?

 **AN:** So thanks to user Hakimcoombs, thank you again, I now have the rights to a story written by user YamiNaruto called: Madara's Grandson: Justice League. In case you didn't notice, it is a crossover between Naruto and Justice League and several other smaller crossovers. So here's this week's question; do you guys think this should be my little side project? I have read through it already and I'll be honest, if I'm going to adopt this and write on it then there are some serious changes that need to be done. I like the concept, but there's a lot of stuff I will change in it. However I am positive to do something like this. It will be a good shake-up in my normal routine.

So what do you say guys? Should this be my little side project? I'll be awaiting your answers!

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kenzaburo Kaguya Nobunaga had been a very busy man in the last few years. After he was rescued from Orochimaru's lab and reunited with his father, he would only have a couple of months to enjoy before his father's untimely death. It was only a short time after this that he was appointed the new daimyo of Mizu no Kuni as the sole heir of his father.

In those years he had done a lot of things his father could only dream of. After the fourth war ended he made Yu no Kuni one of Mizu no Kuni's mainland colonies. With their daimyo dead and capital destroyed, they willingly became a part of Mizu no Kuni making the country stronger.

He also expanded the country's riches by monopolizing on the war. Mizu no Kuni would mass-produce weapons and armor for both sides of the war, earning them the title as the richest of the elemental nations.

He had also been working on internal strength as well. With the added economy he had boosted Kirigakure's funding and with that the numbers of their forces had grown. They were also taking inn more and more wannabe shinobi from the smaller nations they had made a deal with five years ago, earning them the title of the strongest shinobi force within the elemental nations.

Yes, in the five years he had governed, Kenzaburo had accomplished a lot more than some of his predecessors ever did. The people respected him for it and so did his peers.

However, it was his most recent decision he was currently thinking of. Not only did he think that it would double Mizu no Kuni's power, but also its economy. This decision was to appoint the next Mizukage, Hayato Yamada.

When the teen first rescued him, Kenzaburo could easily tell that it was no ordinary shinobi he was dealing with. Even with his missing memory there was something about him that screamed power. That and he basically owed Yamada his life.

So when Mei had come to him two weeks prior and told him she wanted to retire, he already had a pretty good idea of who he wanted to replace her with. In any other case, Yamada's young age would have been a problem; however, no one would in their right state of mind distrust the savior of the world.

So the decision was made and now the daimyo was sitting patiently in his chair, awaiting the new Mizukage's arrival. It had been a long time since they had last met.

Yamada had not been able to be there at his coronation, but he had visited once. That was four years ago now. According to the former Mizukage Yamada had stayed too busy with missions and his family to swing by. However now he was not given a choice.

There was a knock on his door and Kenzaburo couldn't help the small quirk of his lips when a servant announced Yamada's arrival. Moments later Yamada stepped through the double doors into his office.

Unsurprisingly Yamada was not wearing his Mizukage robes. Kenzaburo never took him for a traditional type. However his ever-present poncho had seen some changes. The material was still blue as the ocean, but along the edged there was a white wavy pattern.

The moment he entered the room Yamada, as expected, ignored the servant that was gesturing for him to bow and simply sat down on the other side of the desk. The servant adapted a horrified expression on his face while Yamada was wearing a smirk. Just to horrify the servant even more Yamada propped his feet up on the desk as he gave Kenzaburo a challenging gaze.

The white-haired daimyo rolled his eyes at him before he turned to the servant. "Would you fetch us some tea please?" The servant, who was still in shock, simply nodded before he walked out of the room.

Yamada waited for the door to close before he burst out in laughter. "You know, I would appreciate it if you could act at least a little respectful when there are other people present." Kenzaburo said although there was hidden amusement in his tone.

"Nah, it was totally worth the expression on his face. You can't argue with that." Yamada responded when he recovered from his laugh. Kenzaburo simply shook his head in amusement. "How have you been Yamada? It's been a long time."

"It has hasn't it?" Yamada said as he removed his feet from the desk. "Well truth to be told, everything was peachy until someone told me I was chosen as the next Mizukage. You wouldn't have anything to do with that?" Kenzaburo raised an eyebrow.

"And if I did? What would you do about it?" yamada leaned forward and placed the palms of his hands on the desk. "Then maybe you would disappear in the middle of the night and no one would be able to find you." He said in a much more dangerous tone.

"Is that a threat?" The question came in the same dangerous tone, but this time it was righted at Yamada. For the longest of time the two stared each other down. Then a moment later they both broke into another laugh.

Once they finished they noticed that the servant had already returned and was staring at Yamada with the same horrified expression as before. Yamada couldn't help the smirk that spread over his face as a devious plan formed in his head.

"So how has life been treating you _Kenza-chan_? Been getting some lately?" He asked suggestively as he wiggled his eyebrows. The servant, who had just placed down the tea, fainted on the spot he was standing.

Kenzaburo sighed as he called in another servant to drag the fainted one out of the room. "Was that really necessary?" Yamada just gave a satisfied smile as he leaned back in the chair. "No, but it was funny."

"Anyways, what's going to happen while I'm here?" At the change of subject, Kenzaburo pulled out a small file. "Now there will be a ceremony in one day where I formally recognize you as the new Mizukage and then you will have a ship named after you." Yamada blinked owlishly for a moment.

"Run that by me again. You said a ship?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, it's a tradition in Mizu no Kuni. Every new kage of Kirigakure gets a ship from my royal navy named after them. It's just like Konoha and their stone monument where they sculpt out the faces of their kage."

Yamada nodded thoughtfully at that. "So a ship named after me… that's not really that much in comparison to the monument in Konoha. Besides, a ship last like maybe thirty years?" He asked.

"Well normally, yes, but since there are only now six of these ships they get the best of maintenance, hilariously outgun the rest of the fleet and are only used by the higher ranking officers in the armada." The daimyo explained. "Now that's more like it!" Yamada added with a grin.

"I think that was everything then Yamada. I will have someone escort you and your bodyguards to the rooms that have been prepared." The daimyo said before he called for a servant. "Actually, before we end this meeting there is something I wanted to speak to you about."

Yamada's playful mood had disappeared and was now replaced. "I disbanded the Kirigakure council and they weren't very pleased. Some of them will most likely come to you for support." Kenzaburo nodded his head in understanding.

Yamada wanted to secure the daimyo's support on his own side so that no one else could turn the man against him. The daimyo took a deep breath before he started speaking.

"Yamada, the list of people I trust is very small. In my reign I have learned that some people are not to be trusted. However, on that small list there is one name that was placed there above all the rest. Without your help I would have never gotten back to my father and neither would I have had the crown. I trust you more than anyone else in this country and if that is your decision then I'll support it fully."

Yamada remained silent for a moment, looking for any signs of a lie. When he found none his facial features relaxed and he gave a small, but sincere smile. "Thank you. I know exactly what you mean by the way. There aren't many in this world one can trust."

Kenzaburo nodded, glad they understood each other and stood up and stretched out his hand. "I'll be looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow Mizukage-dono. I'm sure you will do great things for your village and country." Yamada rose from his position and took the hand.

"Thank you Daimyo-sama." He responded with using the man's title for the first time that day. Moments later Yamada was escorted down the halls of the palace with each of his sides flanked by Haya and Haru. Once he arrived at his room, Yamada flopped down on his bed and looked out the window.

"My messages should have reached their targets by now."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi lazily looked at the creature that was sitting in front of him. Said creature was small and black with a message bound to its back. While Kakashi to anyone else would have looked disinterested the fact was that on the inside his thoughts were going a mile per minute. _'I only know one person that has that kind of summon but… that can't be… he's supposed to be dead.'_ He thought as he stared at the small black dragon.

" **I have a message from the Mizukage. It is to be delivered to your Hokage immediately. Her eyes only."** The dragon spoke. Kakashi nodded dumbly before he moved to remove the message. Once the message was removed the dragon disappeared without further notice.

Kakashi wanted nothing more than to open the letter and read its content, but restrained himself. The dragon said the letter was for Tsunade specifically and he knew better than to read confidential information. That didn't mean that he didn't make it to her office on record speed. No matter what the message said, the secret message was visible for anyone to see; Kirigakure was making its move.

He burst through the doors of the office startling both the Hokage and the twenty-one year old Nara within. "It's a message from the Mizukage." Kakashi said with urgency in his voice. Tsunade immediately stood from her chair and reached out for the scroll.

"So she finally has decided then." Tsunade muttered as she opened the secret seal on the scroll. Unrolling it she quickly scanned over its content.

 _Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade_

 _I, Rokudaime Mizukage, invite you and your shinobi to participate in an international jonin exam. This exam will be held on the neutral grounds of Mizu no Kuni within the safety of Kirigakure. If you do not wish to participate or do not have the chance to do so then please respond immediately. Any teams you wish to send will get safe passage through our and our allies' lands. The exam will be starting two weeks from now at the 3rd of August._

 _Rokudaime Mizukage, Hayato Yamada_

Tsunade couldn't help the shocked expression that crossed her face as she read the name of the sender. "He's alive?" She asked no one in particular. However that was all Kakashi needed to hear to confirm his suspicion.

"Who is alive? What does it say? Man this is so troublesome." The Nara said as he looked between the two older ones. "But how could he be alive? I checked him myself!" Tsunade said, still having a hard time believing it.

"The message was delivered by a black dragon. It could also be the explanation to why Tenten was seen within Kirigakure." Kakashi responded seriously. "That still doesn't explain how he is alive or why he invited to an international jonin exam. It has never been done before."

"I don't really know why, but it could be a way to test the other nations." Both of the older people in the room turned to look at the Nara. "What do you mean Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken then kiri is under pressure to join the war. This could be his way to understand kiri's relation to the other nations. If we accept then it's a sign that we're willing to work with him. If we decline then that's a sign that we don't need his help. It's troublesome, but it's only a theory."

Tsunade was silent for a moment as she thought over the words of the Nara. If that was true then it was essential that they sent someone to the exam. She looked up at Kakashi and was silently asking for his opinion.

"If that really is the intentions of this exam then I think it's in our best interest to participate." He said and Tsunade nodded. "Bring me Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Haruno Sakura. They're going to form one team. I also want Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji and you Shikamaru to be the second team we sent to the jonin exams."

"How troublesome…"

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"Gaara there is a message from the Mizukage." Temari stated as she entered the war tent the Kazekage was currently located. The red-head looked up from the field map he had in front of him to his sister.

The Kazekage and his sister had not changed gravely over the years. Temari hadn't changed at all except her hair was a little longer than before. Gaara on the other hand now wore a long-sleeved crimson shirt and pants that matched the color of his shirt. He had also started wearing a brown belt and a much smaller sand gourd that was strapped to his left side.

"What does it say?" He asked as he was given the scroll. "I don't know. Only you can open it." Temari responded as she crossed her arms. Gaara gave her a questioning look before he unsealed the scroll and skimmed over it.

' _So he is alive after all…_ ' Gaara thought as he read through the scroll a second time. After a moment of tense silence he rolled the scroll back up and looked at his sister. "Prepare two of our best chunin teams."

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Raikage-sama there is a message to you from the Mizukage." The Raikage was sitting calmly in his chair and stretched out a hand for his secretary to place the scroll in. The secretary reluctantly placed the scroll in his hand before she scurried out of the room.

This had been quite common after the fourth war ended. A no longer trained at all or did anything else than just sit in his chair and stare blankly out the window. It unnerved the entire shinobi population and some even went as far as to say he had lost his mind.

The Raikage quickly scanned through the scroll before he threw it at the floor. "Mabui! Prepare as many chunin teams we can afford!"

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"There are more reports of the rebel movements Tsuchikage-sama!" An Iwa shinobi shouted as he sprinted into the room. The red-haired woman behind the desk sighed as her forehead hit her desk. Why had she agreed to this job again?

Ever since she took over she started ruling with an iron fist. Apparently many people didn't like that. At first it had just been unrest in the village itself, but when she was ordered by her master to start the war it seemed to be the last straw for those who opposed her.

"Send shinobi to the location at once." She said as she swiftly looked through the many reports. She stopped when she came over a particular scroll with a kage seal on it. "Where did this come from?" She asked the shinobi.

"That was received today from the Mizukage." Replied the man. Now curious, the woman opened the scroll and read through its content. When she was done she couldn't help but to laugh. "A good idea to gauge your options." She muttered to herself.

"What was that Tsuchikage-sama?" The shinobi asked. The red-head rolled up the scroll before she looked at the man. "It seems we have a jonin exam to participate in."

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The next morning Yamada was early up on his feet. He wanted the day over with as quickly as possible. He had never liked the cities that were too big. Kirigakure was on the borderline of too big, but the capital on the other hand was just ridiculously big.

As he exited his room there seemed to be someone that was just going to knock on his door. It was the same servant from the day before which made Yamada smirk. "Daimyo-sama wants to meet with you before the ceremony Mizukage-sama." He said nervously.

Yamada's grin turned from amused to very amused as he gestured for the servant to lead the way. He heard that the room to the twins was quickly opened as they stumbled after him. Apparently they hadn't been up yet.

"So no hard feelings for the other day?" He asked as they silently walked through the halls. "No of course not Mizukage-sama." He responded nervously as he took a step away from Yamada. Said twenty-year-old silently snickered to himself the rest of the way.

When they reached the room the daimyo was in the servant bowed before he quickly made his way out of the room. "So what's going to happen on this little ceremony of yours?" Yamada asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Nothing too much. I'll say a few words then I'll give you a bottle of sake to smash on the back-end of the ship. Then there will be a small celebration." Kenzaburo replied as he finished up a few documents.

"That sounds like a waste of good sake." Yamada muttered as he pushed himself off of the wall. "You're not the only one I know that would say something like that." The white-haired daimyo said with a grin. "Shall we go?"

Yamada nodded and a moment later they were out of the room. As they arrived into the main entrance hall Yamada spotted two people he had never seen before. They were both female, that was for sure, and if Yamada could judge correctly then he would say that the oldest one was in her mid-twenties while the younger one was maybe five.

"Mizukage-dono before we leave I would like for you to meet my wife, Okuma Kaguya Nobunaga." Kenzaburo said as he gestured to the woman of the two.

Yamada instantly did a small bow to the two. "It's a pleasure to meet you Nobunaga-sama." He said with a polite smile. "The pleasure is all mine." She responded in a friendly tone. "And please refer to me by my first name. My husband considers you a friend of the family. It's only right that you are treated like one." She added.

"Thank you, but I do feel that it would be disrespectful. At least let me still call you by title." Yamada responded in a friendly manner. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Kenzaburo was quite surprised by Yamada's knowledge in conversing with nobles.

Yamada couldn't blame him though. He had never been this formal with Kenzaburo himself. Only when he had to or when he was trying to gather allies did he use it to his advantage. He had grown up as the heir to a clan after all. Even in his limited five years before the massacre he had picked up some tricks.

And from the pleased look on the woman's face he would have to pat himself on the back for a good job. Kenzaburo seemed to break out of his shock as he gestured to the little girl. "And this is my daughter, Katsura Kaguya Nobunaga." He said.

Said girl was currently trying to hide behind her mother's leg. She had obviously gotten Kenzaburo's white hair instead of her mother's brown. Other than that though, she looked pretty similar to her mother.

Yamada looked at Okuma, silently asking for permission. When he received it he bent down on one knee in front of the little girl who instantly gripped her mother's leg harder. "It's a pleasure to meet you hime." He said, using her title instead of her name.

Kenzaburo watched on in curiosity as he watched Yamada's right hand disappear behind his back. He watched as two thin wooden spikes started growing out of Yamada's hand. The two spikes intertwined with each other before making a circle and connecting to the other end. Then the end of the wooden spikes that was sticking out of what now looked like a bracelet, turned into a purple crystal.

This happened within the timespan of a few seconds and moments later Yamada brought his hand back in front of him. "A gift for the beautiful hime." He said as he stretched his open hand out to the girl.

Katsura looked up at her mother with an uncertain expression. It was obvious to Yamada that this girl had been sheltered most of her life because it didn't seem like she was used to interaction with strangers.

Hesitantly the girl reached for the bracelet and took it out of Yamada's hand. "Thank you sir." She said in a tiny voice. Yamada smiled at her before he stood back up to look at the two adults.

Kenzaburo looked baffled and a little glad. Probably because Yamada had managed to behave himself. Okuma on the other hand looked more pleased than she had before. From what Yamada understood he had just achieved her full approval which could turn out to be helpful in the future. Powerful allies in the capital were always helpful.

"I believe the two of you have a ceremony to attend. Right darling?" Okuma asked breaking her husband out of his bafflement. "Right, of course. Shall we go Mizukage-dono?" Yamada nodded before he turned to the two ladies. "It was wonderful to meet you. I look forward to our next meeting." He said as he bowed one last time.

As they exited the hall and into the streets, Kenzaburo turned his head to look at his companion. "Since when were you so formal." He received a scowl in return. "I wasn't born in a barn you know. I grew up learning etiquette from my mother."

"Well you could have fooled me." Responded the daimyo. Before Yamada could come with a response they were already where the ceremony was going to take place.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The ceremony was, for a lack of better words, boring. That was what Yamada would tell you if he could. However since he now had been surrounded by nobles for kami-knew how many hours it was finally time to leave.

"You know I will never want your job, ever." Yamada complained as he strode into the daimyo's office. "Too much sweet talking and no insults. I don't understand how you take it."

"From what I hear from my wife you might have to." Kenzaburo said as he signed a paper and handed it to a servant. "Say what now?" Yamada asked as he stopped in his tracks.

"Well, from what she says, little Katsura has taken quite a liking to you." Yamada blinked owlishly at that. "But I only gave her a bracelet. How can that be so special?" He asked.

"Well you're the first one outside of me and my wife that has been friendly with her. And please remember that she's only five. She'll probably forget about you in a few days." Kenzaburo explained.

"Well if she doesn't then there is still no way to make me take your job. Besides, there is a way too big age difference between us." Yamada replied with a snort. "Anyways, I'm going to be on my way now." He added as he turned to walk away.

"Before you go…" Yamada stopped in his tracks and turned partly around. "What is this I hear about an international jonin exam?" Now Yamada turned to fully face the daimyo.

"How did you find out? I haven't told anyone except the invited kage." There was a certain edge to Yamada's voice. "No one in particular." Kenzaburo replied. "Let's just say I have… contacts in other villages."

The smirk on his face was of the mischievous kind. Yamada relaxed slightly, knowing no one had broken into his office. He would still need to install some extra security though. Just in case.

"So if you know that then you probably also know how the other kage reacted." Yamada's voice was neutral, but there was a slight hint of interest. "That I have. From what I have heard all the villages are sending two or more teams." A smirk appeared on Yamada's lips. "Perfect…"

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this now? What are your intentions?" The daimyo asked in honest curiosity. Yamada's smirk only grew as he turned and continued his walk out of the office. "Knowledge is the greatest weapon Daimyo-sama." He called over his shoulder before the door closed behind him.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Moments later Yamada and his two bodyguards reappeared within the Mizukage's office. Without missing a beat Yamada walked up to the desk and started writing down on a slip of paper. "Haya, Haru, I want the two of you to fetch a certain group of people for me. Try to do this without attracting too much attention."

As he said this he handed the two the paper. "Mizukage-sama, with all due respect, we're supposed to be your guards. We cannot leave your side." Haya said.

"Fine, Haru, you go and Haya will stay and guard me." Yamada said before he had a chance to think it over. He had for a moment forgotten how uncomfortable the two were with leaving the other's side. "Wait, ignore that order." He said with a sigh.

"Leave a shadow clone each so that you will know if I am in trouble. Then you can leave." The two visibly relaxed as they inclined their heads. "As you wish Mizukage-sama." The next moment they were gone from the room.

When the two returned they were followed by the only group of people Yamada trusted within the village. Among them were Tenten, Yumi, Mei, Chōjūrō and Haku. "We gathered them all as you asked Mizukage-sama."

"Good, now please step outside the room and make sure no one enters." The two inclined their heads before they disappeared from the room once again. "Yamada, what is this about?" Yumi asked sounding mildly annoyed.

"Sorry to call you all here on such a short notice, but I'm playing things very close to the chest right now." Yamada said getting their curios attention. "There are only a select few I trust in this village and those select few are gathered within this room." They all looked around at each other.

"The reason I wanted you all here was to inform you of my plan." Again no one spoke and Yamada took this as his que to continue. "I'm doing something no other kage has done in history. I've invited the other kages to an international jonin exam."

Nothing. There was no response within the room. For a moment everyone processed the information. "And what are you trying to accomplish by doing this?" Mei asked feeling that someone had to speak up.

"It's a chance to observe our future allies and enemies." Haku said already having seen through the cover for the test. "Exactly, I want to know what options I have. We're being pressured into war and I want to make sure that we enter the right side." Yamada elaborated.

"I guess this makes sense, but why are you telling us this?" Chōjūrō asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. At this Yamada gave a smirk. "Just because I disbanded the old council doesn't mean I didn't want to make my own."

"That's what you did today isn't it. You gathered the people in the village you trust as your own council." Haku deduced. "That is correct Haku. I'm not going to lie; I am inexperienced in the role as Mizukage. That's why I need some advisors I can trust."

Yamada looked at them all and was relieved to see positive expressions on their faces. "Of course I assume that whatever we talk about will not be heard elsewhere in the village. There will be talk of possible village secrets in the future." It wasn't a question. It was a silent threat.

When they all shock their heads Yamada smiled. "So you're all on board with this?" He asked and received several nods. "I'm glad you're taking this seriously Yamada." Mei said with a smile.

"Well we don't really have a choice now do we? You are the Mizukage after all." Chōjūrō said with a smirk of his own. The others also responded positively to his request which made Yamada's trust in them grow even further.

"Good, now here is the first thing I want your opinion on." Yamada said as he took his seat. "Who do you think we should side with in the war? At the moment I'm struggling to make a choice, however I want to know what you guys think. Who knows, you might manage to change my mind." He asked as he gave each of them a glance.

"Now, Mei, what is your opinion?" The former Mizukage took a step forward. "From tactical analysis it clearly shows that Iwagakure and Kumogakure have a slight advantage in the war. In my opinion that is the right decision."

Yamada nodded before he gestured to Tenten. "I'm leaning towards Konoha and Suna." She said without hesitation. No one in the room could really say they were surprised by her choice as none of them expected anything else.

"I think…" Yumi started catching everyone's attention. "That it really doesn't matter which side you choose. Both sides need our help to win the war so whoever you choose will be the victor no matter what. As I say that though I think that Konoha is the better choice in the long run."

"That may be, but Hi no Kuni has the most resources. From a tactical standpoint it would be more profitable to take out Konoha. You have my choice." Chōjūrō said. All eyes turned to Haku now as they all waited for her answer.

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think… that I agree with whatever Mizukage-sama choses. He will choose what is best for the village and that is all that matters to me." Everybody adapted a stunned look on their faces. Everyone except Yamada who had a small smirk on his face.

"That was all for now." He said as he stood from his chair. "The jonin exams will be announced in the village tomorrow. By the time of our next meeting the old council room should be remodeled to my liking. You're all dismissed."

Slowly they all started making their way out of the room. All of them exited the room except for Tenten who walked up to the opposite side of the desk. "You… you're not going to go against Konoha are you?"

There was desperation in her voice, something Yamada hadn't heard from her in over five years. Yamada sighed as he looked down at his desk. "Tenten… I know this is hard for you, but I'm going to have to ask you to put your trust in me."

"So you're going to side with Iwa and Kumo?" There was a certain sense of betrayal that was slowly leaking into her voice. "I never said that." Yamada quickly responded. "But in all honesty Tenten, I'm struggling."

Yamada sighed and turned away to look out the window. "I don't know which road I should choose. To do what would benefit the village and Mizu no Kuni the most…" He turned and looked at her. "Or do what would make the person I love the most happy." He added silently.

Tenten looked down on the ground, now feeling guilty. She now understood that he was facing a much greater turmoil within himself then she did. However, she had to convince him that Konoha was the side to choose.

Slowly she reached into the pouch on her back and retrieved a scroll from within it. "I… received this from Konoha the other day. It's from Tsunade-sa… from Tsunade. They're begging for our help as they're slowly losing ground to the opposition." She stopped for a moment as she placed the scroll on Yamada's desk.

"They won't stand a chance against us. I'm begging you Yamada… please make the right choice. Save my home!"

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Reviews

Hakimcoombs

Ok… I'm just going to lock my door… and maybe buy something for self-defense… XD

 **AN:** Well, since no one argued with me last time I guess you'll see the first chapter of my side project soon. Also, something to remember; Sakura was never trained by Tsunade. Just in case any of you forgot.  
Also I have realized that there hasn't been much action yet in book III. Sorry about that, but I can promise that there will be much more action in future chapters. Patience is a virtue!  
Also, I want to make it a weekly thing that I ask a question and you guys answer. So I'm going to ask a question each week. Sometimes it might just be a silly question and other times it might be a question whether I should do this or that in the story. For now, however, we'll stick with a question to quench my curiosity.

Aside from Yamada, who is your favorite character in this series?

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

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At first Yamada was simply stunned. Never had Tenten begged him to do something. She had always just demanded it in a playful way and if she didn't get it she would assault him with a laugh. Otherwise she would just get whatever it was she wanted herself so this was totally new territory.

Then he felt hurt. The fact that she still thought of Konoha as her home even if a total of five years had passed hit home with him. He could understand that it was hard for her to adapt, but he couldn't shake the hurt he felt.

Then there was an emotion inspired by some thoughts that was not his own. _"See she is hiding things from you. She's been doing it all this time! Perhaps she is even a spy!"_ The voice within his head exclaimed.

Yamada couldn't help it. He felt a slight bit of betrayal. The figure he had met in the shrine had held up its part of the bargain. Yamada hadn't had nightmares since that day.

If the voice was to be trusted, and it was telling the truth, then Tenten might not have loved him after all. _'No, no that's not true. Why am I even thinking of doubting her?!'_ Yamada thought as he shook his head.

To distract his own thoughts Yamada smiled at Tenten. However as he was about to speak, the words the voice had spoken echoed inside his head. "I… I can't promise anything Tenten. I… I'm sorry." He said with an uncertain tone of voice.

Tenten slumped slightly, but nodded her head. "I suppose that's the best I could hope for. I'll trust you to make the right decision Yama-kun." The familiar nickname made Yamada do an internal sigh of relief. At least she hadn't reacted as badly as he had imagined she would.

"Why don't we go and pick up Kumiko from the academy and then we'll spend the rest of the day together. I think we both need it." Tenten smiled before she kissed him. "I'd like that a lot. But don't you have some paperwork to catch up to?"

Yamada's answer was to create a Mokuton clone who took his seat behind the desk. "Now we can go." Tenten gave a weak laugh at that before they walked out of the office.

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"Kurotsuchi-sama the enemy is closing in!" Kurotsuchi looked up from the plans in front of her to look at the shinobi. "How did they find us?" She asked urgently.

"They followed one of our spies back. They had stolen vital information!" The shinobi responded. "Pack up everything necessary and tell the men to move! We can't be caught!" She replied as she quickly scrambled to pack up whatever she had on hand.

The shinobi was instantly out the tent to alert the rest of the resistance. This was what the Iwa resistance was at this point. They ran on sight from any sign of Iwa shinobi.

Ever since the war started against Konoha she and a small portion of Iwa's forces had deserted the village and formed a resistance. They had tried anything they could to stop the advance of the new Tsuchikage into new territory. However it seemed that no matter what they did they simply could not hinder Iwa's progress.

The twenty-three year old gritted her teeth as she finished packing. As she exited the tent she barely had the chance to escape an explosion tag that was imbedded in the ground right in front of her. The explosion destroyed the tent, but otherwise no harm was done.

"I see you're still alive and breathing." The rebellion leader turned to look at the redhead Tsuchikage as she walked towards her. "Well someone's got to be a thorn in your side." She hissed back.

The sound of several footfalls sounded behind her and she knew the resistance forces had just gathered. "Go, I'll keep her busy!" She shouted over her shoulder. Her men didn't hesitate and immediately left the area.

"Are you sure you can take me on?" The red-head taunted with a smirk. "I'm sure I can distract you long enough for them to get away." Kurotsuchi replied with venom.

"That's probably true, but can you get away yourself?" The red-head's eyes widened when earth spears shot through the earth. "Doton: Doryūsō!" She heard Kurotsuchi say, but was too focused on the earth spears to look at her.

"Doton: Doryūheki!" She returned as the earth wall rose in between her and Kurotsuchi's spears. The red-head sighed a sigh of relief only to tense a moment later as an immense heat caught her attention. Suddenly the wall in front of her melted into nothing and lava broke through it.

"Your Yōton is really an annoyance." She muttered as she spotted Kurotsuchi. "One day… one day you will pay for what you did to jiji. One day I will be standing over your dead body and avenge him." Kurotsuchi muttered darkly. "One day I will avenge my father as well! He trusted you! I trusted you! I will have my revenge, but for now…" She trailed off as she slammed her hands into the ground.

A dome rose from the ground, surrounding the red-head completely. "For now I need to get away." Kurotsuchi finished before she jumped out of the area. A moment later the dome shattered into nothing and the red-head stepped out.

"Tsuchikage-sama, we lost the rebels to the east." An ANBU said as he landed in front of her. "What did they manage to take?" She asked as she turned fury evident on her face. "The letter from the Mizukage." Responded the shinobi.

The red-head turned her head to look in the direction Kurotsuchi disappeared. "Now what would she want with that."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

When Kurotsuchi reunited with her forces she was led straight to the spy who gave up their location. "This better be some dam good intel. It was hard enough to find a place they couldn't find us in. Now we have to do it again." The shinobi was now trembling as he handed the scroll to his leader.

Kurotsuchi impatiently took it and ripped it open to read its content. Her eyes slowly widened as she read through it. After a while she did something no one had seen her do in the last four years; she smiled. A happy and hopeful smile as she closed the scroll.

"This could work to our advantage." She said as she handed it back to the shinobi. "Gather the forces and go into hiding. I'm going to need an escort. I'm going away for a while." She said.

"Kurotsuchi-sama, with all due respect, where are you going." Kurotsuchi merely smiled as she started to walk away. "I'm going to visit the hero of the fourth shinobi war."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Mizukage-sama, the stadium is almost completely renovated. There are only a few things left before it is ready for use." Yamada nodded his head thoughtfully. "Will it be ready in a week? And what off the rest of the village?" He asked.

"The stadium will be done within the next two days. As for the village itself; it's coming along nicely sir. If my calculations are correct then it will be done by the day before the participants should arrive." Yamada nodded his head with a smile.

"Good, oh and how about my… secret project?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow. The architect in front of him swallowed almost loudly. "As you requested no one knows of what is being built. And I estimate it will be done within the next three weeks." Yamada nodded approvingly.

"Good, make sure that it stays a secret." The architect nodded before he left the room. One week had now passed and Yamada knew it was only a matter of time before the participants of the jonin exams would arrive.

He had, with the approval and extra resources from the daimyo, decided that he wanted to display the riches Mizu no Kuni was basically rolling in. that's why he had first of all ordered the arena for the final round to be renovated.

Any crack they found and any fault at all would be repaired. The seating area was to be expanded by another ten thousand and Yamada was even having some of the latest technology in the world installed. The walls of the arena floor were enhanced because it was normally only used for wannabe chunin. Now it would be used for wannabe jonin which was another lever entirely.

At the same time he was also giving the village itself a complete overhaul. All the streets were being ripped up and replaced with marble to further rub in the difference in economy. There was a completely new inn being set up just for the participants. Buildings were getting new paint jobs, the walls were renovated and, of course, the Mizukage tower was getting renovated as well.

Yamada had hired the most skilled builders in all of Mizu no Kuni. However, with all that he had planned, they had reported that they would not be able to finish the work in time. That's why Yamada had created two hundred or so clones to help with the renovations.

However, he wasn't just making the village look better. He was also applying new defenses and stricter controls upon entrance to the city. The entire village now had a sensory seal similar to the one Konoha used surrounding everything inside the walls. It wasn't really needed considering the mist that surrounded the village, but it was a precaution Yamada was willing to take.

It was also now decided that whenever a shinobi not from the village wanted entrance they would have to hand over all equipment to the gate guards. The guards would then keep the equipment until said shinobi left the village again. In cases of international exams, the shinobi would get their equipment back by the start of the exams.

Yamada had also set a new standard for shinobi within the village. All the shinobi in the village was forced into a mandatory exam Yamada had designed himself. There was one made for each separate rank in the entire village. Those that passed would be allowed to keep their rank. However, those that failed would be demoted to the rank beneath the one they currently had.

It wasn't really surprising that Yamada had been very disappointed when several of the shinobi did not hold up to the new standards within the village. Several had been demoted to chunin and some even all the way down to genin. Yamada had quickly realized that what he was doing would limit their military resources significantly. However they were headed into war and with strong opponents on either side he wanted to be sure the forces were prepared.

So to say it lightly, Yamada had a very stressful week. Now he just had one more week left and he still hadn't picked those who would oversee the exams. A part of him wanted him to do it himself, but the sheer amount of work he already had left him unable to do so.

"You've sure been busy." Yamada lazily let his eyes drift to Tenten who was leaning against the door frame. "There's a lot to do before the exams." He responded.

"That's true, but you haven't slept for the entire week." He easily noticed the concern in her voice. "I was asleep for six months after the fourth war. I don't exactly have to catch up on it." He replied.

Tenten sighed before she pushed off the door frame and walked further into the office. She knew she wouldn't win this discussion, mostly because they had it three times already. However, she had another reason for being there as well.

"Well, at least the other villages have taken notice of your return." She said as she dropped the newest version of the bingo book on Yamada's desk. The twenty-one year old suddenly sat up in his chair and reached for the book.

 _Bingo book entry: #1604_

 _Name: Hayato Yamada_

 _Moniker: Genso Masutaa_

 _Age: 21_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Physical description:_

 _White hair, grey-blue eyes, is usually seen wearing the standard jonin attire of Kirigakure and a poncho._

 _Known Family: Hayato Yumi (sister), Hayato Kumiko (daughter), Hayato Misaki (Adopted sister, deceased),_

 _Country: Mizu no Kuni (Formerly Hi no Kuni)_

 _Village: Kirigakure no Sato (Formerly Konohagakure no Sato)_

 _Shinobi rank: Mizukage_

 _Known clan affiliations: Hayato clan (Clan head)_

 _Known elemental affinities: Katon, Futon, Raiton, Suiton, Doton, Shakuton, Yōton, Hyōton, Mokuton_

 _Special abilities: Can absorb enemy chakra just by touching them._

 _Skill list_

 _Taijutsu: S-rank_

 _Ninjutsu: SS-rank_

 _Genjutsu: A-rank_

 _Fūinjutsu: SS-rank_

 _Kenjutsu: SS-rank_

 _Medical Ninjutsu: B-rank_

 _Physical skill:_

 _Intelligence: 5 of 6_

 _Strength: 6 of 6_

 _Speed: 6 of 6_

 _Stamina: 6 of 6_

 _Weapons: The Purotekutaa of the Hayato clan_

 _Other information: Singlehandedly ended the fourth great shinobi world war. The youngest Mizukage to ever take the mantle._

 _Warnings: The target is considered a SSS-rank enemy. If encountered in the battlefield; flee on sight._

 _Bounty: No bounty has been enlisted as of yet._

"Wow, considered triple S rank… that's got to be a new record. I mean, the Yondaime Hokage was only double S rank and he was considered the most dangerous man on the planet." Yamada muttered as he closed the book.

"I guess that makes you the most dangerous man on the planet then." Tenten replied with a smirk. "I guess it does." Yamada agreed with a smirk of his own.

"Now Yamada, I have one simple thing to tell you." Yamada automatically stiffened at the tone of her voice. "You either come home today and spend time with me and your daughter or…" A dangerous glint entered her eyes. "Or you'll regret it."

Yamada merely nodded his head. He didn't admit it out loud, but he loved it when Tenten took charge. She had such a commanding presence when she wanted to.

"I'll just finish up the paperwork and I'll be right there." Tenten gave him a stern look. "You better be or I'll come and drag you home myself." She said with a small victorious smirk before she walked out the door.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"So how did it work?" Tenten looked up as Yumi approached her. "He said he'll be home after he finished up the paperwork." Tenten replied as the two walked down the streets together.

"Thank god for that. He's been working too much if you ask me." Yumi said and Tenten couldn't do anything else but agree. Yumi glanced at the older girl. "And you're still sure you want to tell him?"

"Well yes, he deserves to know doesn't he?" Tenten asked as they approached the clan compound gates. "Of course he does, it's just that… don't you think he's got a lot on his mind already? He already worries about so much."

"So what do you suggest then? Wait until our baby is born before I tell him?" Tenten asked with a smirk. "No, but just… I don't know; wait until the end of the exams before you tell him." Tenten looked thoughtful for a moment.

She had very recently found out that she was pregnant once again. She had wanted to tell Yamada immediately, but he hadn't left the office ever since she found out. Now she was tired of waiting and had threatened him to be home or else.

However, Yumi was making her think. It was true that when she told him he would be worried sick for her if she knew him right. He already had so many other worries so to wait a little bit longer wouldn't hurt right?

"I don't know Yumi. I'll consider it." Yumi only nodded being satisfied with the answer. "So anyways, what's going on between you and Suigetsu?" Immediately Yumi turned red as she looked away.

"Nothing is going on! What are you talking about?" She asked as she tried her hardest to battle her blush. Tenten merely smirked. "You know Yamada's made a seal that documents the chakra signatures that enter the compound right?"

"That was nothing! He was just there to annoy me as always." Tenten raised an eyebrow. "In the middle of the night?" Yumi didn't seem to have an answer to that. "Umm… it's been fun talking to you Tenten, but I eh… got to go." She sprinted away in embarrassment with Tenten's laughter echoing behind her.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As Kakashi arrived at the gates he was greeted with team 10 and team 8 chatting together. They had all been eager when they were told they were going to participate in a jonin exam. Because of the crumbling economy Konoha hadn't had the chance to do any exams of their own. Any and all promotions that had happened in the last five years had been mostly field promotions.

"Are we all ready to go?" He asked lazily, not lifting his eyes from the book. Kakashi had instantly been chosen as the one who would go with the six to Kirigakure. The reason was his strong bond with Yamada.

"Actually we're waiting for two others." Shikamaru responded in the same lazy manner. "Sorry I'm late Kakashi-senpai." Kakashi turned to see Yamato land behind them. "I was slightly held up."

"Figures she would send you with us." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "But who is the second one?" Everybody turned to Shikamaru as if he was the only one knowing. However, before he could say anything said person announced themselves.

"That would be me." Kakashi had not expected her to be one of the people that would come with. Kurenai walked through the main street that led to the gate.

"I thought you retired." Kakashi remarked lazily and Kurenai gave him a dirty look. "You know I got forced out of retirement right after the war started. Besides, team eight was my team. It's only fair that I join them on this journey." She kept walking and stopped just so that she was standing side by side with Kakashi.

"And… he was my student too you know." She added in a whisper only so that Kakashi could hear. It wasn't a lie after all. She had trained him in Genjutsu where Kakashi was lacking.

"Point taken." Kakashi said as he turned to them all. "Alright we will be headed to Kirigakure to join in their jonin exam. I want you all to be at your best behavior when we're there… and of course; make us proud."

"The hidden leaf needs to show how strong we are and that's what you're going to do in this exam." Kurenai butted inn. "So you all better be doing your best." Kakashi nodded in agreement.

When no one else spoke Kakashi simply started walking towards the gate. "Alright, let's get moving."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Temari stood atop the walls of Sunagakure looking out over the vast dessert. It had been such a long time since she had a peaceful moment to herself to just reflect on what was going on. After the war started she had been none stop on the frontline making sure they held their ground.

Now she was tasked with escorting the chunin hopefuls to their exam. She knew this was Gaara's way of giving her a break, but she didn't want to accept it. She wanted to be present and make sure they did their best to win the war. Sadly when Gaara went into full Kazekage mode it was hard to argue with him.

Temari looked down behind her and sighed. The two squads were first now showing up. One of the teams that would participate she was familiar with. Team Matsuri who had very recently become chunin.

Then there was the team she had never had any interaction with. They had very recently graduated and had earned their rank of chunin after only two months in the field against Iwa.

The one who was the proclaimed team leader was Keizo Hanari. He had short wavy brown hair, dark brown skin color and small dark grey eyes. He was a little tall for his age standing at about 158 cm. He wore a tunic with short wide sleeves as well as a pair of sandals and baggy pants. His entire outfit was basically gray except for the chunin vest he was wearing on top of the tunic.

Next on that team was Ezakiya Eichiro. He had pale skin with short blue hair. He was very much shorter than his teammate. So much in fact that it reminded Temari of how short Naruto had once been. Otherwise he was a pretty average guy. Even his clothes were the average chunin outfit.

Last person on the team was Mazawa Rui. She was quite tall, even taller than both of her male teammates. She had long curly lime colored hair and very large red eyes. Had she not had that innocent look in her eyes even Temari would have thought she would have been intimidating.

Out of all three of them Temari had to say she liked Rui the best. She looked like she was taking her career as a kunoichi professionally which was still rare in kunoichi despite the war raging on. Most kunoichi would quit after their first battle or die in it.

As she saw that they all had arrived, Temari jumped down from the wall and landed in front of them. "All right, you're all here. Now let's get going." She was only hoping that they wouldn't fuck it up completely.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Samui stood in front of the four teams she was supposed to lead to Kirigakure. Three of them were completely unknown to her and if she was to be honest she couldn't care less about who they were.

The only team that mattered anything to her was her own team. Omoi and Karui would be participating as a two man team in the exam. Normally that would be a problem, but the Mizukage did not specify how many was to be on each team. In fact he hadn't specified for there to be any teams at all.

With that thought in mind she started their journey towards Mizu no Kuni. Perhaps she would figure out the answer before they arrived.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Iwagakure as silent as the people who were to participate in the exam walked through the village. No one dared coming out of their homes anymore unless they had work or were forced to. The place had become just as, if not more, depressing than Konoha.

That was not because of money though. On the contrary Iwagakure had an unknown source that always had them supplied with money. No one knew where the Tsuchikage had managed to get such a source from and no one had been able to find out.

The problem with the village was that the rules of their new ruler were so strict that one wrong move could get them locked in a cell for life. It didn't help that the rebellion was raging on either. If there were someone you didn't like within the village then you could just charge them of being spies for the rebellion. Said person would instantly be executed, no trial.

This was the main reason of worry for them and also the main reason they all stayed inside their houses. That was also why Akatsuchi was overly cautious.

While it was true that he hadn't deserted the village for the rebellion it also wasn't true that he was completely loyal. He had been secretly leaking information to the resistance for a long while. After all, his one true loyalty had always been to the Sandaime Tsuchikage's family and nothing else.

However, now he would no longer be able to do that because he was the one that was going to lead the chunin to their exam in another country. He had heard rumors that the rebellion had disappeared completely from the map and he could only hope that they would stay that way. It would probably be a long time before he was back.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

After one day of travel the Konoha gang had joined up with the teams from Suna. One more day later and they arrived at the border to Mizu no Kuni's main land colony. The moment they stepped foot on the border they were surrounded by a bunch of kunoichi, all of which looked ready to strike should they're target show resistance.

"We are representatives of the Nadeshiko village. We are here to escort you to the ship that will transport you to Kirigakure." Spoke the woman that was clearly the leader of the bunch. Kakashi put his book away as he nodded.

"Of course, we want this to go as smoothly as possible. We won't cause any trouble." He said to which Temari nodded in agreement. "Very well, then if you would please follow us. I assume you will be able to keep up." It wasn't a question.

Without waiting for an answer the kunoichi started to go at full speed in the opposite direction of the border. The sixteen from Konoha and Suna quickly caught up, not wanting to lose their guides.

Kakashi, because of his growing curiosity, jumped up by their leader so that he could have a conversation. "I didn't think Kirigakure and your village was so close. If I remember correctly it was just an alliance that was on the breaking point."

"It used to be like that yes." Responded the leader, not taking her eyes off of the trees in front of her. "But then our leader had a change of heart. I do not know exactly how it happened, but the current Mizukage was challenged by our leader. You are aware of our former laws?" When Kakashi nodded she continued.

"Well apparently our leader lost and Hayato-sama had a talk with her. He must have changed her way of thoughts because at the same day she announced the changes in the village. Not long after that the deal between our villages was strengthened." Kakashi nodded as he was lost deep in thought.

"It seems you hold some sort of respect for the Mizukage." He pointed out. "Everyone in our village does. He is the one that helped change our ways. The village is now better off than ever before. That and our leader admire him very much. Now could you please focus on the task at hand?" That was the end of the conversation as the woman jumped on ahead.

' _It seems Yamada has established himself pretty well in Mizu no Kuni.'_ Kakashi thought as he looked on ahead. _'I only hope he still listens to reason.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Hakimcoombs

Yeah… ok… that bunker I was looking at the other day, definitively going to buy that now. You'll never get me there!

Guest

Why do you dislike Misaki so much? She's one of the first few characters I created. Just curious about why though. Just want to specify that I'm not angry or anything.

 **AN:** I am sooooo hungover while I'm writing this. I had one of the wildest Saturdays I've ever had yesterday. What's even better is that it's the first party I've ever been on. So this week's question; what was the wildest party you've ever been on or have you ever been on a party?  
Also, the first chapter of my side project is out today! Read it if you feel like it! I won't judge.

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi had a guarded look on his face as they approached the eerie mist in front of them. When they had arrived at the coast with the kunoichi gang they had been forced to stay a night. Then the next day they had gotten on board the boat.

It was actually more classified as a ship now that he thought about it. The thing had been massive with several floors. It honestly looked more like a warship than anything and Kakashi wondered if it was to intimidate them as they arrived.

When the ship had finally left port they were stuck on it for a total of two days before they were set off within the capital of Mizu no Kuni. From there they would be able to arrive in Kirigakure the day before the exam started.

Now there they were, approaching the thick mist that surrounded the village. Kakashi could practically feel Yamato's unease on his left. Why the Mokuton user didn't like the mist he didn't know.

On his other side he could see that Kurenai's interest had peaked. After all, they were about to enter a mist that could trick even the strongest shinobi. For a genjutsu expert it would be like a thrill ride to enter.

Kakashi himself didn't know how to feel about it. On one side he was slightly unnerved because of the eeriness. However, on the other side he was eager to see Yamada again. The conflict only grew as they stopped right in front of the mist.

"Are we supposed to enter the mist?" Ino asked, sounding uncertain. "It would be logical. Why? Because the village we seek is on the other side of said mist." Shino said as he pushed his glasses further up. Temari removed the fan from her back and started walking forward.

"Don't worry, I'll clear us a path." She said, however, before she had the chance to do so Kakashi gripped her shoulder. "It would be wise to not do something that could anger our hosts." He said with a dangerous edge.

Temari hesitated for a moment before she nodded and put the fan away. "Good, now come one people. They are expecting us so they'll probably guide us through." Kakashi said before he walked into the mist.

He could feel that he passed some kind of barrier as he entered into the thick mist. "Keep up or we'll lose each other." He called over his shoulder. Not even a moment later everyone else followed him into the mist.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Sir there has been breaches in the barrier on two sides of the village." Yamada felt a satisfied smirk come to his face as he heard this. "Good, our contestants are here. Let's start the plan." The other occupants of the room sent him questioning looks.

"What plan?" Yumi asked with a confused look. "See for yourself. I picked up this trick while I was living in Konoha still." Yamada said as he lifted a crystal ball from underneath his desk. An image immediately appeared of the Konoha and Suna gang.

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Kakashi idly looked around as they wandered through the seemingly endless mist. He would have liked to read his book, but the mist would surely ruin the pages. He sighed as he looked up to try and look through the mist. No such luck.

With another sigh he focused on what was in front of him. A moment later the huge gates of Kirigakure appeared. "See? I told you they would guide us through." He said as he turned around. However, when he did, no one was there.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Where's Kakashi sensei?" Sakura suddenly asked. Everyone started looking around. "He was right in front of us just a minute ago." Yamato muttered as he looked around in confusion. That's when the mist thickened and suddenly the only ones the chunin could see were each other.

"Yamato-sensei… Kurenai-sensei…" Ino asked. There was no reply. Her voice was now quacking as she quickly realized they were all alone. "How troublesome." Shikamaru muttered in mild annoyance.

"Temari-sama?" The Konoha group turned to the Suna team when they realized that Temari had disappeared as well. "Looks like it's just the nine of us then." Keizo muttered as he turned to the Konoha-nin.

"Let's try to find our way to the village. Perhaps we just lost them on the way." He suggested. The Konoha group didn't have many other options so they agreed. The two groups started making their way through the fog.

Things were extremely silent as they walked. No one dared speak as they all tried to listen for any signs of life. The entire space the mist covered seemed to be completely barren. There was just the grass under their feet. Otherwise nothing was growing in there.

They wandered around for quite a while. None of them knew quite where to go, but it was obvious that none of them were feeling comfortable about the situation. The fact that it was so extremely silent was very unnerving.

That's when they heard it. A small cracking sound, like someone had stepped on a twig. "Kakashi-sensei? Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura asked hopefully. There were a few figures walking towards them in the mist. Everyone held their breaths as the people came closer and closer.

As they came very close the Konoha and Suna teams were able to see details. The first things they noticed where the Kumo and Iwa hitai ates'.

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Kakashi knew that his chances of finding his students alone in the mist were minimal to none. That's why instead of walking back out into it, he walked up to the gates. Almost immediately the gates opened allowing him passage.

What he saw when he got inside was the very proof of Kirigakure's new wealth. _'They are indeed trying to show of just how much better they have it. Not surprising really. It's a good tactic to show your future allies just how dependent they are on you.'_ He thought as he took in the sights.

"It's been a long time Kakashi-senpai." Eyes widening Kakashi used a brief moment to stare straight ahead in shock. When he recovered he whipped around to look in the direction of the voice.

There, on top of the wall, standing with the traditional Mizukage's hat was Yamada. He wore a grin on his face as he jumped down to greet his former teacher. He would be lying if he said he hadn't missed Kakashi just a little.

"You seem to not age at all Kakashi. Is that a family trait?" The light humor in his voice was enough to snap Kakashi out of his shock. "Yamada don't shock me like that. You could give an old man a heart attack." He responded as his eye closed in one of his famous eye-smiles.

Yamada's grin turned into a pleasant smile as he motioned for Kakashi to follow him. "Come on, your colleagues should be arriving soon." Kakashi was confused by that, but he really had no reason to mistrust his former student.

Following Yamada back to the top of the wall the two entered the much larger then needed gatehouse only to come upon two kiri ANBU standing over a bound Kurenai and Yamato. "Uhh… Yamada, why are Kurenai and Yamato bound?" Kakashi asked seeming quite confused.

"I would like to know that as well." Yamada muttered as he shot a dark glare at the two ANBU. "They refused to come willingly Mizukage-sama." Said the now more than frightened ANBU.

Yamada sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just get out of here." The ANBU didn't hesitate and quickly disappeared from the room. "Sorry about that, I honestly did not expect them to tie you up." Yamada apologized as he quickly untied them.

"It's no problem at all Yamada-kun." Kurenai replied as she got out of the ropes. "It's good to see you again Yamada. It's… it's been so long." Yamada turned to face Yamato and his face turned impassive. "It is isn't it?"

The smile on Yamato's face disappeared and was replaced by hurt. Why wasn't Yamada glad to see him? Sure, there had been a long time, but surely Yamada didn't blame him for that. He had been captured and kept against his own will.

Kakashi sensed the high tension that entered the air and quickly went to diffuse it. "Ok, so Yamada, mind telling us where our students are?" Yamada broke of his stare at Yamato to turn to Kakashi. A smirk appeared on his face.

"We'll have to wait for our other guests to arrive." Just as he said this, Temari walked in from the door on the other side of the room. From her expression Kakashi could tell that she was just as confused as they were.

However as the door behind him opened, and Kakashi turned to face whoever it was, everyone seemed to be on alert. The moment Akatsuchi and Samui entered everyone entered combat stances.

Kakashi jumped backwards to stand besides Kurenai and Yamato. Kurenai pulled out a kunai and readied herself while Yamato clasped his hands together. Temari who was now behind them ran up and on the way picked her fan of her back.

Akatsuchi entered a ready stance and so did Samui, both ready to dish out massive blows if need be. At the same time Yamada's bodyguards jumped out of hiding, both pulling their swords to protect their kage if need be.

There was a tense moment where everyone just stared each other down before Yamada cleared his throat. "Ok, now that we've all met could we just calm down please. This is neutral ground and we do not want any incidents now do we?"

When no one listened Yamada pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He had imagined that this would be a difficult meeting for both parties, but they needed to calm down. Sighing loudly Yamada started expressing his authority, violently.

All the powerful shinobi in the room staggered when Yamada put pressure on all of them. His violent chakra exploded into the room catching them all of guard. "As I said, we don't want any incidents. Is that understood?" Once he received nods from both sides he released the pressure.

More than one sigh of relief was heard throughout the room. As they all put away their weapons they also turned to Yamada. "I invited all four great nations in hope of you not killing each other on site. While you certainly didn't kill each other, you still greeted each other with hostility. As long as you're in Kirigakure this will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"

When he received several nods in reply a small polite smile spread on his lips. "Good, then the one in charge of the first exam can explain to you what's going on." And with that Yamada walked out of the room only to be replaced by a man with blue hair and glasses.

"Greetings, my name is Chōjūrō and I am the proctor for the first part of the jonin exam." He introduced himself. "Now you may be wondering where your chunin candidates are. Well to answer your question; they're participating in the first exam right as we speak." Just as he said this, a screen decended from the ceiling behind him.

As it flickered to life all of them could clearly see the chunin of their respective village, all of them facing off against each other at once. "As you can see here the first test is already in progress."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"How did they greet each other?" Yamada looked at Tenten who raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Better than expected actually. No one attacked each other at least." Yamada responded.

Tenten nodded before she walked up to him. Yamada watched her curiously as she draped her arms around him and drew him in for a kiss. She kept walking forward until Yamada's back hit the now closed door.

"Yamada there's… there's something…" Tenten trailed off as Yumi's words entered her head. _"At least wait until after the exam."_ She looked down in thought. Was it really right to keep it from him?

She knew beyond anything how stressed he was. The cold spot in their bed the last weeks had been testament to that. However, was that a reason big enough to keep this news from him?

"Tenten, what is it? You know you can tell me anything." Yamada said as he absentmindedly pulled her closer. "It… it's nothing. I've just been missing you so much lately. You're almost never home and Kumiko misses you." Tenten said.

It wasn't a complete lie either. Kumiko had expressed her displeasure with Yamada's absence and she had felt lonelier lately. She rested her head against his chest and gave a long sigh of contentment.

"I know I have been really absent the last weeks and I'm sorry about it. However starting today there's an end to that. I at least have time to spend with the two most important people in my life now."

Tenten felt a smile stretch her lips as he spoke. "Good, I don't want to have to drag you from the office more than once." Yamada's chest rumbled as he chuckled.

"Well you won't have to." He said before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now, why don't we go and pick up Kumiko before we take the rest of the day off?"

Tenten nodded, smile never leaving her face, and together they walked towards the academy.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"What are you doing here?" A Kumo-nin sneered at the Suna and Konoha-nin. "We could ask you the same thing!" Kiba growled back. Both groups of people were in ready stances the moment their eyes landed on the enemy.

Neither group noticed the pair of eyes that was looking at them from the sidelines. "First and last warning Suna and Konoha scum, leave and we won't decimate you." An Iwa-nin said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Like you could even stand a chance against us." Matsuri said. "What did you say bitch?" The same Iwa-nin growled as he drew a kunai. "You heard me!" She shouted back, drawing her Jōhyō.

Tensions were high in that moment of time. Everyone were preparing for the inevitable battle that was just a moment away. However, before either side could act the earth rumbled slightly. Suddenly the mist lightened slightly just as the earth exploded outwards on several places around them.

Out of the ground crawled what could only be defined as huge humanoid creatures, only they were made of stone. "Stone golems!" An Iwa shinobi shouted as they were a moment later surrounded by them.

At the same time several figures walked up in between all of the golems surrounding them further. All the figures were of the same person which only unnerved them all even more.

They all wore a dark, high-collared button down attire which had light-colored, upturned sleeves. They wore two belts around their waists, a simple one and another larger one with two pouches, one at each side. They all had straight white hair with a light-blue tint to it; almond shaped purple eyes, and pointed teeth.

It was pretty easy to tell that it was all the same person. However what further gave away who they really were was the huge sword they all had a copy off hanging on their backs. The Kubikiribōchō was proudly displayed on the back of all Suigetsu's water clones.

"I hope you kiddies are ready to learn because if you're not…" He trailed off as he cracked his knuckles. "What's the meaning of this?! We came for the exams! We're not enemies!" Keizo shouted at the clone who spoke.

"Don't care, I have my orders." Suigetsu replied with a grin that would put a psychopath to shame. Before any of them had the chance to argue they were all assaulted by the golems and Suigetsu clones alike.

Some of the chunin seemed to not be prepared for the charge and were left wide open to be taken down. One this happened with was Rui from Suna who in a last ditch attempt covered her face. She could feel the clone of Suigetsu drawing closer and waited for the sword to cut through her.

Instead she heard metal clang against metal. With a stupefied look she lifted away her arms and was surprised to see someone standing in front of her holding off the swordsman's attack. "Are you alright back there?" He asked her, not taking his eyes off of Suigetsu.

"Yes, thank you." She said sincerely. "Don't mention it; now get to your teammates." Rui nodded and did just that. "Niou-chan, I didn't know you cared for Suna shinobi." Suigetsu mocked as he pressed harder against the blade.

"I don't, but I need their help to get out of this situation." Niou responded before he relented surprising Suigetsu. The blue-haired teen used this to his advantage by sweeping Suigetsu's legs out from beneath him.

A light blue arrow passed by his head after that and Niou turned just in time to see a golem's head smashed to bits. "You're careless Niou." The feminine voice of his teammate sounded as she walked up beside him.

She was Fūma Sanako, sole heir to the Fūma clan. She had her mother's orange hair and wore a purple sleeveless uniform much alike her mother's. (In case you're wondering about the mother, just look up Sasame on the wiki.)

"Maybe I am, but let's not discuss that now." The boy replied with a shrug. "Right now we need to focus on the situation at hand." The orange-haired girl nodded and the two started making their way to a team each.

With the Konoha team, Shikamaru was holding back more than one stone golem while his back was covered by the rest of his team. Ino's abilities were practically useless in the current situation seeing as neither the clones or the golems were influenced at all by her mind techniques.

Choji's abilities were proven more useful as he easily smashed through the stone golems Shikamaru was holding back. However, to their dismay, the moment the golems were destroyed new ones appeared out of the ground.

Shikamaru was about to stop them, but had to move from his position when a sword came down in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw around ten golems closing in on Choji. "This is so troublesome, but if we don't do anything soon then we'll be in real trouble." He muttered as the clone picked up its sword and turned towards him.

"But what are we supposed to do? There are so many of them." Ino said as her eyes flickered between the many clones and golems. Shikamaru didn't respond as the sword of his enemy was suddenly descending towards him.

However, before it made impact against his kunai the clone holding the sword exploded into water as Kiba came barreling through it. "It looked like you guys needed some help." The Inuzuka stated with a feral grin.

The golems that had been approaching Ino had slowly been engulfed in insects and they slowly smoldered away.

"That's true, but we're going to need more than your help." Shikamaru muttered, his brain going a thousand miles a second. "What are you talking about?" All Shikamaru responded with was taking of in the direction of the Suna team.

Meanwhile said team was in a much more difficult situation than the Konoha team had been. Rui had water affinity and that was good and all, but Suna had a lack of Suiton users to teach her so there was a lot missing from her training.

The other two both had Katon as their primary affinity and while they were both strong with it, it neither affected stone or water that much. In other words their only tools to fight the fight were their standard shinobi tools.

Luckily Matsuri and her team was there to help them out as well, but they also didn't have any affinities that were effective against their enemies. However, it did make things a little easier.

That didn't mean that they were having a good time though. They were continuously dodging to the best of their abilities. Blocking would be suicide and hitting back with just kunai wasn't having much effect, especially on the golems.

Just as they were getting more and more tired a blue arrow shot through the head of one of the golems surrounding them. The other one stopped moving as the top half of its body slowly slid off of the bottom part of its body.

Niou appeared from behind it slowly walking up to the Suna teams while Sanako walked up from the other side. "Are you ok Suna shinobi?" Niou asked as he scanned for any threats nearby. When he located none he turned his attention to the very tired Suna teams.

"We're fine thanks." Matsuri said between deep breaths. "But why did you save us? And why are these things attacking you as well? Aren't you from Kiri?" Keizo asked suspiciously.

"Yes we are, but apparently that doesn't matter at the moment. Right now none of us are going to survive unless we work together." Niou said as he pointed first to one of the clones. "That is Suigetsu-senpai. He took over the leadership of the swordsmen when Mizukage-sama took office."

He then pointed to one of the golems. "That is one of Mizukage-sama's enhanced stone golems. They're faster than the average and have just about the double strength of the one the sandaime Tsuchikage once used." He explained.

"In other words, there is no way for any of us to win this on ourselves." Sanako budded inn earning a nod from her swordsman teammate. "So let me see if I got this straight. You want us to work together with you?" Eichiro asked earning a nod from Niou.

The six Suna shinobi all shared looks, none of them too eager on trusting strangers. That is until Yui hesitantly spoke. "I think we should trust them." She said before she nodded to Niou. "He saved me from one of the clones earlier. We would have been out of the exams already if not for him."

They still seemed hesitant for a moment before the leaders of both teams nodded their heads. "Fine, we'll cooperate for now." Keizo said as Matsuri nodded in agreement.

Just then a golem broke through the ground right underneath their feet. Most of them managed to jump away, but just as she was about to a giant rocky hand grabbed a hold of Matsuri's middle. She screamed loudly, alerting everyone else of her predicament.

The golem's hand tightened around her and just as she was about to lose consciousness the squeezing stopped. Opening her eyes she found one of the Konoha shinobi she had been traveling with, crouching on the ground while his shadow connected to the golems.

When they noticed that the golem wasn't moving, Matsuri's teammates were quick to help her out. Just as she was out of its grasp Choji crushed the golem into dust.

"I assume you have realized what we have to do?" Niou asked as Shikamaru came up close to them and the Suna shinobi. "It's troublesome, but we need to combine forces. None of us can win this on our own." The Nara replied.

Niou didn't respond, but simply put his hand out for the Nara to shake. Once that was out of the way they all gathered up together. "Should we try to get the Iwa and Kumo teams to help as well?" Keizo asked although he didn't seem like he liked the idea one bit.

"I don't think so. Iwa shinobi are too proud for their own good and Kumo shinobi are taught to rely on no one. There is one team from Kumo I think would be willing to join forces, but I don't know where they are right now." Shikamaru responded.

"I guess it's just us then." Keizo said with a grin. Just as they were about to leap into action the golems and the clones stopped advancing. The Suigetsu clones put their swords back on their backs before they collapsed into puddles while the stone golems fell into heaps on the ground.

"What is going on?" Kiba asked as he looked around. The mist suddenly got a lot lighter and revealed a blue haired man who couldn't have been that much older than them. "Congratulations on passing the first part of the exams."

"Chōjūrō-senpai…" Niou realized as he put his sword away. Sanako seemed to also relax as she put her bow away. That prompted everyone else to relax only to tense when they saw the Iwa and Kumo teams from before.

They seemed significantly fewer than they had been before the attack however. That left many of them wondering what had happened to them in the chaos. "What are you talking about?" Someone roared from Kumo's ranks.

"You have all just completed your first part of becoming jonin." Chōjūrō clarified. "To be honest, the only reason you were told the exam started tomorrow was so that the first part could be a surprise. A shinobi has to always be prepared for anything." Chōjūrō said, quoting the shinobi hand book.

"If I may ask, what was it we did that made us pass the exams?" Shino asked quietly. At this Chōjūrō grew serious. "A shinobi is taught from early on to put the mission first. This was a test of how much you were willing to do to survive and finish the mission.

Most of you seemed to get the hint pretty quickly it seemed like. You quickly realized that none of you could win alone and while it took some of you longer to realize than others…" At this his eyes briefly flickered to the Kumo and Iwa shinobi. "I can happily say that you all passed."

There were several sighs of relief as most of them relaxed. "Now if you would follow me I'll be leading you to the village and then your hotel." Chōjūrō continued. Without waiting for a moment he started walking. If they didn't follow then it was their fault if they got lost in the mist again.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada stopped in his tracks when the clone that had been supplying the exam with golems popped. The memories came back to him and a pleased smile graced his lips. _'Seems like Niou did a good job.'_

"Yamada, something wrong?" Yamada looked at Tenten and Kumiko who had also stopped walking. "Nah, nothing in particular. I just wanted to admire my beautiful wife." He said with a grin.

"Oh hush you." Tenten said even though she could not stop the smile that broke out on her face. He walked back up to her side before he grabbed Kumiko's hand with the other hand held by her mother.

The family of three had spent around an hour together so far and it had been wonderful. When they had been to get Kumiko out of the academy the teacher had looked like he wanted to protest, but one stern look from Yamada shut him up pretty easily.

After that they headed into the outer circle where they entered one of the newly renovated parks. There were several play sets located in said park and the family spent the hour there entertaining Kumiko. They would have stayed longer had Kumiko not informed that she was hungry.

So now they were on the lookout for a local restaurant or even just a café to get some food. However, there was one simple thing that bothered both parents as they walked through the streets.

Most people bowed to Yamada to show respect and that was fine with them, however it was all the unnecessary attention Kumiko got that had them worried. Not only did people give her sweets, but they even tried to praise her.

Now nothing was wrong with these actions, but it still made seasoned shinobi feel slightly uneasy. Within their occupation, any food offered could be poisoned and anyone could be an assassin in disguise. Furthermore, they didn't want her to develop a superiority complex.

Many children with high-standing parents such as daimyo's or kage's could very easily develop a superiority complex. That was because of all the praise they would be getting without even doing anything.

There was also the concern that whoever it was that had tried to kidnap Kumiko last time would try again. However, Yamada and Tenten were both much more at ease knowing they were within the safety of the village.

Eventually they found a small café along the main street and requested a table outside to enjoy the sunny weather. That was where they were seated when the convoy of chunin passed by them. Yamada subtly cast a small genjutsu on his family and himself so that they wouldn't be recognized and quietly observed the gang of chunin.

They all looked pretty beaten up which was an indicator that it took them a while to understand the meaning of the test. The bloody clothes some of them wore indicated it took a very long time.

As they reached the gate to the inner circle they were finally reunited with the jonin that had led them the long way to kiri. Kakashi, of course, greeted the Konoha gang with an eye-smile while Kurenai and Yamato gave a normal smile each.

Temari gave the Suna teams an approving nod with a small quirk of her lips. Meanwhile the teams from Iwa and Kumo were greeted with indifference. The only exception was Karui and Omoi who got some approving words from Samui.

It was after this that trouble showed up. When asked to give away all their shinobi equipment before they entered the gates, almost all of them refused. Yamada wasn't really surprised to be honest.

The problem only seemed to escalate when they were told that they would not gain entrance to the next part of the exam if they did not cooperate. Yamada decided to get involved when one of his shinobi was punched square in the jaw.

Silently getting up he ignored the question from Tenten as he quickly made his way. A moment later he grabbed the one who had thrown the punch by the elbow and flipped him onto the ground. "You here hereby banned from the exams because of unnecessary show of violence." He said.

"I would advise you to head back to your village now if you know what's good for you." He added as he stood back up to his full height. He then looked around at the other participants before he turned to the gate guards.

"What seems to be the problem here?" He asked. "They won't hand in their equipment so we can't let them pass." The gate guard answered with a salute. Yamada nodded as he turned to the shinobi who were standing stubbornly a few feet away.

"Well? Are you going to say something?" They all looked uncertain for a moment before Kakashi stepped forward. "Yamada…" He was quickly cut off when he felt cool metal against his chest. "You are to address him as Mizukage-sama or not at all." Yamada's bodyguard said.

"That's enough violence. Lower your sword and return into hiding." Yamada said clearly not approving of the action. Haya quickly apologized before she disappeared from view. "I'm sorry Hatake-san, you were saying?"

Kakashi was rather startled by the whole thing. He hadn't even sensed the guard which proved that they were especially well trained. He had to wonder for a moment if Yamada himself had trained them, but quickly got back to the matter at hand.

"Like I said… Mizukage-sama, we do not feel comfortable leaving our equipment here." He said as his eye locked with Yamada's. "And why not? You will be safe in the village… do you not trust us?"

Kakashi was quick to wave that off. If he had said yes or simply not responded then that would be a sign to Yamada that Konoha didn't trust Kiri. "Of course not Mizukage-sama."

"Then I do not see your problem. If it is Iwagakure and Kumogakure you're concerned about then I will gladly inform you that we have very tight security. No one will be able to harm you." Yamada spoke as he sent all of them expectant looks. "But we will need our equipment in the exams." Keizo said stepping forward.

"Then your equipment will be handed back to you before the next exam. Is there anything else?" The Konoha shinobi were the first ones to relent as they, very hesitantly, handed over their shinobi equipment. The Suna shinobi were just as reluctant, but followed the examples of their allies.

Once they had headed through the gates Yamada turned to the ones who had still yet to hand in their weapons. Begrudgingly they too started handing inn their equipment, but only after getting glares from the escorting jonins.

"Glad we could resolve this in a peaceful manner." Yamada said as he walked back to the café he had come from. Once he sat down he saw the more than displeased look on Tenten's face.

"Look, I would have been called in if that escalated anyways. It was better if I handled it before it came to that." He explained himself. Tenten held her disappointed look for a moment longer before she sighed and her eyes fell to Kumiko.

The rest of the time at the café was spent in silence and somehow Yamada just knew that he would be hearing about it later.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews:

Guest (from chapter 4)

I'll try my best not to be predictable, but no promises. Also sorry I couldn't answer you in the last chapter.

 **AN:** So last Thursday I, for the third time, lost a family member to cancer. My grandfather lost his battle with cancer and I didn't feel up for writing for the rest of last week. So that's why there wasn't any chapter last week. Just in case you guys were wondering.

That aside, I might have to pay more attention to my side project. I honestly did not expect this much attention to a chapter that was about a thousand words long. I mean holy mother Theresa, I think I've gotten over two hundred notifications so far! So I might have to update it more than once a month like I had originally planned. What do you guys think about that?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Most of the participants of the chunin exams were impressed with the improvements that were done to the village. It was clear that someone had invested a lot of money into it all and while some of them thought that it was a waste of money others thought it was a good idea to show power. Money was power in the shinobi world after all.

They were eventually led to a beautifully constructed hotel that was kind of out of place in the silent inner circle. It was split into two different buildings where the Kumo and Iwa teams were led into one of them while Suna and Konoha were led into the other one.

There each person was given a personal room where they could relax and recuperate for the next exam. Those that had been injured received a medical-nin at their door moments after they had settled in.

All four villages were assigned their own floors as well as to separate the competition more and to give the different villages time to form a tactic or something similar. There was a common room located on every floor where they could all meet up and discuss or simply just do Smalltalk.

"These hotels are amazing!" Ino shouted as she stretched out on the couch in the common room. The other girls couldn't help but to voice their agreement. Every floor was outfitted with two Jacuzzi, one for the boys and one for the girls. The beds were of the newest standard and were extremely comfortable. At the same time they could also call for room service that would provide those massages and the most exquisite foods in the village.

"I still don't like that we had to hand in our tools." Kiba sulked. "A shinobi is as good as his tools." Kurenai reminded her student as she walked into the room. "Besides you should be glad they didn't take Akamaru from you as well." Just the thought of that made Kiba go pale as he placed a protective hand on his dog's head.

"The chunin delegates are from four different villages all four of which are at war. I'm not blaming them because they're taking precautions." Kakashi mentioned lazily from the wall he was leaning on. He made it look like he was reading his book, but in reality his eyes were secretly on Yamato who had been looking out the window since they arrived.

He couldn't really blame him. The way Yamada had reacted to see him was unexpected and weird. They had seemed to close several years ago. Yes, some years apart would of course damage their relationship, but Yamada should have at least been glad to see him.

Sighing to himself he closed his book and turned to address them all. "Don't stay up too long you guys. It is a big day tomorrow and you'll need all the strength you can get." He said as he walked towards the stairs. "Where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"For a walk."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"She's asleep now." Tenten muttered as she silently closed the door to Kumiko's room. Yamada nodded and sighed. He knew exactly what was coming now. However, instead of shouting at him, Tenten merely walked past him towards their room.

Yamada stood there dumb folded for a moment before he snapped out of it when he heard their bedroom door close. Slowly he approached the door and peaked inside. Tenten seemed to have entered the attached bathroom because Yamada heard the water running.

He opened the door fully and stepped inside. He managed to spot Tenten standing before the sink through a small opening. He sighed loudly and sat down at their bed.

He knew she was disappointed with him. He had said the rest of the day would be focused on her and Kumiko. Yet he had actively walked over and interfered with the dispute at the gate. As he slowly started undressing he heard the water shut off and Tenten walked back into the room.

She immediately slipped beneath the blankets and turned her back to him. Yamada didn't even bother to argue with that. He just finished getting ready before he lied down on the bed as well.

Moments passed and he knew she was still awake. Her breathing hadn't slowed down yet and her chakra was fluxing. "Are you angry with me?" He asked with his gaze fixed on the roof.

It took a long time for Tenten to answer and for a moment Yamada thought she wouldn't answer at all. "No, not angry… just disappointed." She said as she turned around to look at him.

"I understand that your new position requires a lot of your time. The only thing I ask for is that you can make time to me and Kumiko as well. We missed you a lot the past two weeks." Yamada could understand that.

He had barely been home at all the two weeks that had passed. He had been so busy that he had barely seen the two. He nodded his head as he tried to wrap his arm around Tenten.

He inwardly sighed of relief when she willingly came into his embrace. "I'm trying my best, but that's no excuse. I know I haven't spent nearly enough time with the two of you lately and I'm sorry. I promise that soon, I'll have all the time in the world and I will use it on the two of you only."

Tenten smiled, but on the inside she couldn't help but to doubt that. Trying to press the doubt out of her mind, Tenten buried her face in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. She could only hope that he was speaking truth.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next day the participants woke up in their rooms with notes fastened to the outside of their door. They were told to move to the lobby where they would receive their next exam instructions. With weariness they all made their way down into the lobbies.

When they arrived they were greeted with several tables of shinobi equipment. There was everything from kunai to shuriken to the most complex of weapons. Of course all of them took the weapons that suited them best before they waited… and waited.

Half an hour had passed before one of the contestants decided to find out where the hell the exam proctor was. With anger he marched out of the hotel only to shout in surprise when he noticed that they no longer were within the village.

The others from inside heard the shout and came running outside only to come to the same realization. Somehow, in the middle of the night, both hotels had been transported from the village and separated. The other building was nowhere to be seen and neither was the village.

Instead they stood inside a huge opening in something that could only be described as Hi no Kuni's forests. "What the hell is going on?" Rui asked as she looked around. "We would like to know that as well."

They all turned to look at the two Kiri chunin who walked up behind them. "This is what I call the second part of the exam." Niou's and Sanako's eyes widened when they saw who had spoken. "Godaime-sama!"

Mei just gave a big smile as the rest of the participants turned to her. "Glad to see you're all up early." She said. "No offense, but what are you doing here Godaime-sama?" Niou asked after he recovered from his shock.

"I am obviously the proctor for the next exam." She responded with a raised eyebrow. "If that is the case, then where are the teams from Iwa and Kumo?" Choji asked. Shikamaru sighed as he opened his eyes. "It's a part of the exam isn't it?" He asked Mei who smirked confirming his suspicions.

"If you look behind you, you will see that on top of the hotel there is a flag. It's the exact same on the other part of the hotel. This is a competition to see which side can gather the opposition's flag first." She explained.

"But they are like five contestants more than us!" Ino exclaimed loudly. "That is not our fault. You made these teams yourselves yesterday. There is nothing that can be changed." Mei responded.

"So where is the opposition's flag?" When this question was asked Mei's smirk merely widened. "That's the whole point, you won't know. You'll have to scout the exam area for it and they will have to do the same." She said before she dropped a bag in front of them.

"This bag contains a map of the exam area. Don't even try to move outside of where the map stretches because you will be disqualified." She explained. Keizo was the first one who reacted as he walked forward and picked up the bag with the map.

"One last piece of advice." They all looked back to Mei as she slowly disappeared. "In this part of the exam killing is allowed. Keep that in mind before you enter the enemy's line of sight." She said before she disappeared from their view.

"So we have to work as a team then." Keizo said as he looked around. They all shared glances, some of which were more doubtful then others. It was Niou who stepped forward first. "I'm in if you guys are." He said as he reached his hand towards the other villages' teams.

Shikamaru didn't seem to hesitate for a second and since he was more or less the leader of the group he walked forward and grabbed the teen's hand. The Suna shinobi seemed a bit more hesitant before Matsuri followed Shikamaru's lead.

Once they had all gotten situated they all started looking over the map. "Ok so our base is here." Keizo said pointing towards the south-west corner of the map. "So it only makes sense that their base will be here." He added as he pointed to the north-east section.

"It could be, but look at the map. Look at our location." Shikamaru said. They were situated in a forest, true that, but outside of said forest there was a ring of sand. It was all enclosed within a deep and long river that they would have to cross to get to the other teams.

"We're surrounded by what we're familiar with, water, sand and forests." He explained. "This could mean that they would be surrounded by what they're familiar with, hills and mountains." Niou realized as he pointed to another place on the map.

Where he pointed was closer to the center of the map and it was a very hilly area with a big mountain in the middle. "I don't know… what if it's what they want us to believe. This could all be a coincidence." Keizo said.

"Then I suggest we split into three teams. One stays behind and watches out for enemies that will try to get our flag. Another go to the location in the north-east and the last group go to the mountain in the middle." Niou suggested.

"If one group doesn't find anything on their assigned spot then they will change course to rendezvous with the other team." Shikamaru looked down at the map in thought.

"Alright, but who will go where?" He asked as he looked around at the others. "I and Sanako-san are good at long distance fighting. If it's true that their base is in proximity to the mountain then we would be the best to send there." Niou said.

"Sure, but you can't just go completely alone. Strength in numbers and all that." Keizo said. "We can go with them then!" Rui said earning a look from her teammates.

"What? We could help them. Keizo, you're fire techniques have great distance too them! So does yours Eichiro! And with my futon techniques we can also go long-range if we want to." She added. Her teammates couldn't really argue with that.

"Well if that's decided then I say that team eight from Konoha and team Matsuri goes to the other location. My team is best suited to work alone anyways and we'll do best on defense." Shikamaru said earning a nod from his teammates.

"Then it seems like we have a plan. Everyone make the necessary preparations before we're ready to head out. This is going to be a tough one."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He knew someone was following him. The shadows that quickly disappeared the moment he looked in that direction was a dead giveaway. However, he was intrigued of who was actually foolish enough to sneak up on him in his own village.

As he arrived at the Mizukage tower doors, he called his body guards to him. "You two take the rest of the day off." He said. They stood to protest, but one quick glare from Yamada shut them up. "That is an order." Without speaking further the two disappeared from sight.

As he entered his office and walked towards his desk he wasn't surprised when he felt a chakra signature slip into the room. As he sat down he looked up at the person that was standing right in front of his desk.

He wasn't honestly sure what he expected. An assassin maybe or maybe a diplomat trying to convince him to join one or the other side. However, what he had not expected was Kurotsuchi.

"Well this is certainly a surprise." He said as his eyebrows rose. "Don't act like that. I know you noticed me when I followed you." She responded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well yes I noticed someone following me. I just didn't expect it to be you."

"So what brings you to my village? You have about five minutes before I get bored and send your ass to the Tsuchikage." Yamada said as he leaned back in his chair. Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes as she uncrossed her arms and leaned on the desk.

"I'm here to make sure you make the right decision." She said. Yamada merely raised an eyebrow at her. "And what is the right decision?" He asked although he was already pretty sure he knew the answer.

"The current Tsuchikage is a cruel woman and I've heard rumors that the Raikage has lost his mind. If you don't know what is the right decision as of now then I think you have lost your mind too." Yamada adapted an amused expression.

"That would be the humanely right decision yes, but not the right decision for my village when you think about it. Hi no Kuni has better resources and would me more beneficial to take over." Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed further.

"You listen here you…"

"No you listen here." Yamada cut her off, standing from his chair. "You think you can just come here and threaten me into taking the side you want me to? Guess what, that's not how politics work. Also, I beat you five years ago and have only grown stronger since then. What makes you think you can beat me now?" The whole thing was delivered calmly, but with a certain edge to it that made Kurotsuchi take a step back.

Silence filled the room as Yamada stared her down. She looked to be shocked that he had talked against her, but he didn't care. The fact that she thought she could come completely alone to HIS office and make demands was just insulting.

"You're right…" She finally said. "I can't demand you do anything. As things are now you would crush my rebellion like nothing. That doesn't mean I'm not going to say what I came to say though." Yamada sent her an expectant look and she continued.

"If you chose the right side then you can consider us an ally of yours. However, if you chose the wrong side then you're our enemy. I know we can't do much to you, but we will do our worst no matter what."

Yamada watched as she walked out of the room. Her words hadn't necessarily struck a chord with him, but it had made him think of the tough decision that was coming up in the near future.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As Tenten walked down the streets of the rich district in the civilian circle, she saw someone she recognized from several years back. "Kakashi?" She asked as she stepped closer. Said jonin looked up from his book and turned in that direction along with the other people at the table.

"Wow, it really is you isn't it?" She asked before she noticed the rest of the jonin at the table. "Kurenai and Yamato as well I see. I guess you guys are with the chunin teams then?"

Kakashi nodded to her. "Hi Tenten, it's nice to see you again. And yes, but that is only half of the reason we're here." Tenten raised an eyebrow, but didn't need to question him. She already knew what the other half was.

"It does make sense that Tsunade would send the three of you. All three of you had something with his previous life in one way or another." She said as she sat down. "Have you had any luck with convincing him?" Kurenai asked as she sipped of her tea.

"I've been trying and I know he's thinking about it, but he is in a really hard spot right now." Tenten said as she looked down. Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. "I don't blame him. Strategically Konoha would be the ideal target to attack."

They went silent for a while after that. No one really knew how to continue the conversation or they were thinking of something else. Kakashi noticed how everyone decended into their own thoughts.

"Well, I'm going to go and see how the exam is going. Yamada invited us to watch it with him. Are you coming as well?" He asked pointing his question at Tenten. "No, I've got some stuff to do here before I go anywhere. You three can go though." She said.

Kakashi nodded and the three finished whatever they were having before they exited the area. Tenten walked with them for a while until she chose a different street further down the road.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Are we all ready to go?" Niou asked. When he received a nod from his own teammate and the Suna team the gang took off in the northern direction. He could vaguely hear someone shout to remember the plan before they disappeared between the trees.

Rui sped up, leaving her team a little behind and came up besides Niou. "So, do you think we'll be able to win this exam?" She asked while still keeping her guard up.

"I'm not really sure." He responded without taking his eyes away from the trees in front of him. "Why not?" Rui asked with a confused look. "Because I do not know what any of you are capable off. I know of my own and Sanako-san's abilities, but you and your teammates are a mystery to me. So far I only know your affinities."

"True that, but I can promise you we are capable chunin." The girl replied. "That may be true, but will you be able to co-operate with me and Sanako-san?" He asked.

"A shinobi must be able to adapt to any situation, right?" Niou couldn't help the small quirk of his lips at that. "Indeed…" He said as they came out of the forest. There was only a small strip of desert\beach left before they reached the ocean.

"So how long have you been a chunin?" She asked changing the subject. "I don't really see how that matters, but I've been a chunin for about three years now." He responded. "Wait, you're three years older than me?"

Niou chuckled. "Not exactly. I was brought early out of the academy because I showed great promise with my katana. I was taken as the apprentice of Suigetsu-senpai. In reality, there is no age gap between us."

As they reached the water they started running along it at top speed never once stopping. Niou noticed that as he was speaking to Rui, Sanako had found herself in a conversation with the other two Suna chunin.

"So you don't use any nature affinities?" Keizo asked in disbelief. "No and my clan hasn't since we moved to Kirigakure. Since then we started specializing in bow and arrow which was a lost art to our clan. Before we moved to kiri, our clan had enough with trying to survive. However, when we finally made it to safety we dared to learn what our clan had lost in its time of weakness."

"That is quite an interesting tale Fūma-san. I would love to hear it in more detail later if you don't mind." Sanako looked at the boy who spoke. It was the first time she had ever seen Eichiro speak as a matter of fact.

"I will have to discuss this with my clan. We do not share information about our clan to just anybody." The blue haired teen nodded. "I understand." He said.

The other side of the huge river was coming into view. However as they drew closer something was thrown out of the three line. Niou and Rui managed to jump out of the way just as the exploding tag went off.

Niou skidded along the water as the shockwave from the explosion went passed him. Instead of covering his face like Rui he started going through handseals.

"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" The water rose up from beneath their feet and formed a massive wave that washed over the shoreline. Trees were ripped out of the ground and brought several meters further onto land before the wave died down. The entire are the wave had hit was now a barren wasteland.

' _He has to be a prodigy. No one should be able to do that at such a young age.'_ Rui concluded in her thoughts as she stared wide-eyed at the destruction. "Let's not stop. That was simply a minor distraction." Niou said as he kept walking towards the now barren shoreline. The others followed close behind and only Sanako wasn't looking like she had seen a ghost.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Your chunin is trained pretty well Yamada. It seems you have a prodigy at your hands." Kakashi stated as he looked up at the screen in front of him. "Yeah, he was trained by one of my best friends." Yamada responded.

The three were seated in the couch that had been placed within Yamada's office. Yamada was seated behind his desk with a satisfied smirk on his face. One of the walls of the office was littered with screens that showed several different pictures.

Two of the screens were pointed at the two main bases aka, the hotels. Another screen was following Niou and his squad while another one was following Team Matsuri and team eight. There were a couple of screens following the other Iwa and Kumo teams as well, but since they were so many more than their opposition it was harder to keep track of them all.

"Just out of curiosity, how are these cameras following the chunin without them noticing?" Kurenai asked as she looked over at Yamada. "Well that is pretty simple. You see, I sent out my dragon summons with cameras on their backs. They all volunteered to do it and they are very hard to detect."

Yamada's eyes turned to the door when he heard it open. Inn walked Samui and Akatsuchi who both were very hesitant when they saw the Konoha gang. "Ah, how nice of you to join us. Please, find a place to sit and we'll be watching the rest of the test together." Yamada said with a forced smile. He was very hesitant to have them all in the same room, but couldn't really do much.

The two hesitated before they took two of the three chairs that were sat up against the wall. Yamada frowned slightly when he remembered that there was supposed to be another jonin present. "Kakashi-san, if you don't mind me asking, have you seen Temari-san?" He asked.

"Yes Mizukage-sama. She said something about not wanting to see the test. I do not know why though." Kakashi replied, using Yamada's title. He had learned his lesson earlier when he was threatened by Yamada's bodyguards; never address him by name when others are present.

Yamada narrowed his eyes slightly. "Very well." He said although Kakashi noticed the slight twitch in his fingers. A moment later, one of Yamada's bodyguards exited the room in search of the blonde Suna kunoichi.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Niou walked calmly onto land, the others following close behind. There was a Kumo shinobi rolling around on the ground in pain. Obviously he had been hit by the massive wave and had probably broken a few bones.

Niou calmly walked up to the downed shinobi and lifted him by the front of his shirt. "Where is your base?" He asked calmly although there was a certain edge to his voice. "Hah, like I'll tell you." The shinobi spat before actually spitting in Niou's face.

"He shouldn't have done that." Sanako said silently, mostly to herself. "Why not?" Rui asked as she raised an eyebrow at the other female. "If there is something Niou-san has taken from his sensei's personality…" She started as Niou drew his sword.

"Is his brutality and impatience." She finished as the sword separated the Kumo shinobi's head from his body. The Suna shinobi stared in shock at the pure brutality. "We move on now. Let's not stay too long in one place." Niou said without turning to face them.

The others did nothing but follow silently.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"It's troublesome, but it looks like we have trouble." Shikamaru said as he looked towards the shoreline. Someone was running towards the island and judging by which direction they came from they were not friendlies.

"What will we do?" Ino asked as she too spotted them. "We wait and see if they fall in the traps we set up. If they don't we'll have to take care of them when they're closer." The lazy Nara replied.

They watched as the enemy arrived at the shore of the island. What the enemy didn't know was that they had dug down several exploding tags along the entire beachfront. The moment the enemy even stepped foot on the island he was no longer as the whole beach exploded.

Shikamaru visibly relaxed only to tense up again as he saw several other enemies coming from other angels. "Ino, Choji we've got more company incoming. Form up!" He shouted down to them.

Ino immediately jumped up to Shikamaru's side and placed her hand on his back as she did a handseal with the other. "Eight enemies incoming." She muttered as she then transferred that information to Shikamaru with their exact locations. Meanwhile Shikamaru's shadow connected to Choji who looked as ready as ever.

"Be ready Choji. The moment they come through the forest we'll attack." Shikamaru shouted down to his friend. As they drew closer Shikamaru received new information constantly from Ino. "Any moment now…"

Suddenly eight blurs shot out of the surrounding forest. "Now!" Choji expanded and then rolled up into a wheel. For any outsider it looked like Choji was thrown around like a gigantic yo-yo. The precision was perfect and he hit almost every target.

Almost because there were two that managed to dodge, Omoi and Karui. The two stared with wide eyes as their teammates were eliminated. "Omoi, retreat into the forest. The vegetation is too thick there!" The red-head shouted to the male.

The white haired katana user nodded before they both jumped back into the forest. Shikamaru grit his teeth as he released his hold on Choji who stopped spinning and turned to the forest. Shikamaru and Ino jumped down to the ground with him as well.

"Ino, can you find their locations?" Shikamaru asked. Ino nodded and started to concentrate. However, before she even had a chance, Omoi sprang out of hiding doing handseals. "Raiton: Sandāboruto!" He shouted as he stretched his arms out to the sides.

Several bolts of lightning sprang from his hand, wildly whipping around him. Team ten tried to dodge, but they were all hit in one way or another. Shikamaru was hit in the shoulder, Choji was electrocuted making him fall unconscious and Ino was blasted back by several bolts making her hit the building behind her.

As the lightning died down Karui walked out of the forest. "That's one way to do it." She muttered as she shot Omoi a look. "It did the job didn't it?" He asked with his hands in the air.

"We should still bind them, just to be sure." Karui stated as she pulled out some ninja wire from her pouch. "Kagemane no Jutsu success!" Their eyes widened a fraction too late as Shikamaru's shadow latched onto them both.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"That is quite a Nara you have there. Managing to do that after being hit by a technique like that." Samui stated, genuinely impressed. The first few minutes in the room had been tense, but after a while Yamada had managed to break the ice and everyone relaxed… slightly.

"Yes, but I don't think he'll be able to hold it that way. Both of his teammates are knocked out and he can't release the technique or they'll get free." Kakashi said and he noticed that Samui seemed to relax and let out a breath of relief.

"That's true, but if I remember Shikamaru right then he shouldn't need to release the technique to do something about this." Yamada said gaining their attention. "What do you mean?" Samui asked stoically. Yamada responded with a smirk.

"Just watch and see."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"So what now Nara? Are we going to stand like this until your teammates wake up or we get reinforcements?" Karui asked impatiently. "I don't really need to wait." Shikamaru said as the shadow slowly started creeping up their bodies.

"What are you doing?" The redhead asked now sounding less confident. "Well, I figured that if you receive reinforcements before my teammates wake up, then I would simply take the two of you down with me." The Nara explained as the shadow reached their throats.

For the two Kumo shinobi it felt like someone was squeezing their hand around their throats more and more by the second. "However…" Shikamaru started as the squeezing slowly stopped. "It doesn't seem like I need to do that."

Just then Choji grabbed the ninja wire from Karui's motionless hand, surprising her. He then started wrapping it around her as the shadows slowly decended down her body. Everything was going smoothly until a kunai decended from the surrounding forest straight towards Choji. "Choji look out!" Shikamaru shouted.

The Akimichi looked up as the kunai was just about to pierce his skull.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"I think we found their base." Niou muttered. They had just reached the hilly area and had climbed one of the tops to get a better view. They found the enemy's base alright, but the only problem was where it was located. In the middle, on top of the huge mountain, the hotel was located.

"How are we supposed to reach that? We'll be spotted long before we even make it halfway up." Keizo exclaimed from besides him. The mountain was steep. It was so steep in fact that there was nothing else they could do but vertical climbing. The people that were walking around on top of the mountain would surely deal with them long before they reached the top if they tried that.

"Then what do we do?" Rui asked. "We don't really have much of a choice. The only thing we can do is split up and hope that as many of us as possible can make it all the way up." Niou said standing back up and beginning the rest of the walk towards the mountain.

"You can't be serious! That is basically suicide! There's got to be some other way we can do this." Keizo said angrily. Niou calmly turned around and looked the other boy straight in the eyes. "If you have any better suggestions then I'm listening." He said expectantly.

Keizo scoffed as he turned his head away. He didn't really have anything else in mind at all. "I don't have any other ideas, but this is still not a good idea." He said more calmly this time.

Niou kept his gaze on Keizo a moment longer before he continued walking. "Sanako-san and I will go. You can stay here a couple of hours and come up with a new plan if you want." He said. The female of the two followed him without a word.

"You know he's right. We don't have time to come up with another plan." Rui said as she started following. "The enemy might be getting closer to our own flag and I'm not sure I trust the one Konoha team to alone guard our flag for several hours."

Eichiro looked back and forth between the two a couple of times before he sent Keizo an apologetic look. He then too started following the rest. Keizo gritted his teeth in anger as his hands tightened into fists.

"Fine then, we'll all die today." He muttered before he followed them away.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

Thank you man. It actually means a lot that you're saying that. I know that he is in a better place, but it's still sad you know. Anyways, thanks again. Your review lifted my spirits.

 **AN:** Sorry for the huge amount of absence I've had. The problem is that I've been too focused on the end of the year exams to write much. It's my last year in school and I want to go out with at least decent grades. There will be more absence then this, on both my stories. However, hopefully I will find the time to write in the coming weeks. Hope you guys can understand that and I promise that from now on I will no longer be absent… at least I hope so. So this week's question; what do you think I have planned for this story?

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Haru managed to track down the much older sand kunoichi at a bar. The woman was sitting completely alone in the bar drinking directly from a bottle of sake. He found himself curious as to why she was all by herself. Normally when he saw someone else drinking, like Yamada, it was with at least one other friend.

Since he and his sister closed themselves off from the others in the village they had yet to experience things like drinking after a successful mission and such. To them it was just another job completed and they always moved onto the next one right away. So this had been an alien thing even when Yamada had first invited them to do it.

"I know you're there you know. You can come out." Haru snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the kunoichi's voice. He cursed himself for losing focus like that and revealing his position as he revealed himself. Temari took one more swig of her sake before she turned around on the bar stool.

"Who are you and what brings you here?" She asked with a disinterested tone. "I was told to keep an eye on you." Haru replied coldly. "Why? I pose no threat to your village without my fan and your defenses make it so I can't send out a message to Suna." The kunoichi replied.

"You could for example be meeting with a co-conspirator within the village." Haru said, the ice in his voice never breaking away. Temari snorted in amusement before she turned back to her drink.

"Well ANBU-san, if you are to be keeping an eye on me then you might as well just join me at the bar." She said before she took another swig. "I do not drink." Haru replied. "You don't need to drink to keep me company." Was her reply.

Reluctantly Haru walked over and took a seat on the far end of the bar, as far away from the kunoichi as possible. Temari snorted again, but didn't question it. The two settled into a comfortable silence.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Enemies are approaching!" A female Iwa chunin shouted. True, at the base of the mountain they could all see a bunch of shinobi running towards the side of the mountain to scale it. How did they know it was enemies you may ask, well they had originally made a secret sign that anyone approaching would show to the ones at the top of the mountain.

However, it was obvious that these ones approaching were not friendly. The shinobi that had shouted was none other nineteen-year-old Inukai Akane. She had been a shinobi for about six years and was one of the few in the forces that the Tsuchikage hadn't magically transported from nowhere.

She had light gray hair that she had in a pixie cut. Her eyes were a dark brown that she was told she had gotten from her mother's side of the family. As for clothing, she wore the traditional chunin outfit from Iwa with extra mesh armor underneath. Her eyes were pretty large on her rectangular face while her nose was small and some would even dub it cute.

She was the current leader of her team and that had brought trouble in the beginning. The reason to this was that she had been newly placed with two random strangers after her former team had died in battle. The biggest reason this was a problem was that these were supposed to be newly out of the academy yet there was no records of them ever going there. It was pretty obvious to her that these had been two of those the Tsuchikage had 'magically' produced from nowhere.

So no she didn't much like her teammates and if she was to be honest she didn't like her kage either. The woman had taken any and all joy out of the village and had replaced it with poverty. She had pulled the support fund for those who couldn't continue being a shinobi because of an injury which had later left Akane's family in poverty as well.

So why was she still fighting? Well that answer was their poverty. Since her mother didn't work and her father had been pulled off the shinobi forces because of an injury, she was the only one pulling in money for them. Without her, both her father and mother would be living in the streets.

However, that wasn't the only reason. She also remembered how the village was before the new Tsuchikage took over. The second reason she was fighting was because she hoped that one day it would be as it once had been.

So here she now was, in the jonin exams and protecting her team's flag with the best of her ability. She had been chosen to stay behind because of her defensive techniques, which she specialized in, in hopes that she could keep the place secure.

Of course she was not the only one that stayed to guard. Along with her were her team and the one person she actually enjoyed the company off.

Tai was the twenty-year-old woman who led a second team from Iwa. They both had the same predicament with being placed on teams with unknowns. She didn't have a last name because she never knew who her parents were seeing as she was found abandoned in the hills around Iwa. She had purple shoulder length hair that always was standing in every direction. Her heart shaped face was the home of two formerly green eyes.

They were no longer green though as she had lost sight in both of them after a mission. Her teammates at the time had taken a fallen Konoha shinobi and planted that person's eyes within her eye sockets. Only later did they find out that the eyes they had transplanted into Tai were actually the Byakugan which would later be an advantage when she mastered it.

Normally Tai would have spotted the enemy several kilometers away, but at that moment she had been taking a break and had been completely unaware of the approaching threat. That's why, when she heard the shout, she jumped down from the top of the tower and joined Akane on the edge.

"Where are they coming from?" She asked hastily. "Two of them are coming up from the other side. You go take care of them. I'll deal with these three." Akane informed as she went through handseals.

"Doton: Doryūheki!" She exclaimed as a wall shot out of the mountain side in front of the three Suna-nin. All three expertly flipped over it, but that was exactly what Akane wanted them to do. "Doton: Doryūsō!" Akane added as the spears shot out from behind her towards the shinobi that were mid-leap.

Meanwhile on the other side Niou and Sanako had made it up a fair bit of the mountain. "Don't you think it was a little cold to use them as bait?" Sanako asked as she turned her head slightly. "No, a shinobi must do anything to succeed in their mission. Besides, it seems like my plan failed anyhow. They've spotted us."

Just as he said this there appeared another figure on the top of the mountain. From the looks of it, it was a young woman that was now looking down at them. However, what Niou found the most peculiar was her eyes.

He didn't get much time to ponder on that however, as the woman started throwing kunai down at them at an alarming rate. The two dodged and weaved in between the kunai hail, once in a while blocking a few.

The woman seemed to realize that it wasn't working as she started a set of handseals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" She exclaimed just before she let lose a torrent of water from her mouth. Niou's eyes narrowed as he told Sanako to get behind him.

He then drew his sword and started channeling chakra into it. A moment later he swung it forward as a huge arc of fire was slung from the tip of the sword. The fire cut through the water dragon surprising all three. Tai had expected her water to be successful since it was the superior element, but obviously she had been mistaken. Only someone who had mastered Katon would be able to do something like that though.

That was all there was time for before the two reached the top of the mountain. Both jumped over the edge, Sanako with an arrow ready. The moment the older woman was in sight she let the arrow go. She was only mildly surprised when Tai thrust her chakra enhanced palm forward and crushed the arrow as it crashed into her.

"So my eyes weren't deceiving me after all. You do have the Byakugan." Niou muttered as he saw the bulging veins on her face. "It was a 'gift' from Konoha." She replied putting heavy sarcasm on the word gift.

"I see, well then we should not engage her in close com-" Before Niou had the chance to finish he had to lift his sword to defend himself against a chakra enhanced punch. The fist made contact with the broadside of his sword almost making it break.

"I should warn you kiri-nin; I don't fight like a regular Hyuga." She said with a smirk as her other hand, which was holding a kunai, made its approach against his unprotected stomach. Niou only survived because Tai had to jump back to avoid an arrow aimed at her head.

Niou nodded his thanks to Sanako before he turned his eyes back to the Iwa-nin. The woman had a grin on her lips as she flipped her kunai into a reversed grip. This was going to be difficult.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Choji closed his eyes, accepting his death. However, the only problem was that the kunai never hit. The Akimichi opened his eyes to see Shikamaru's shadow stretching in front of his face.

The only downside was that, to do that, Shikamaru had to let the two Kumo-nin go. Both immediately jumped back into the forest to join their comrades. "Took you guys long enough to get here." Karui said angrily.

"Hey, at least you're alive. Besides, it's not my fault Akio had to pee." Yuji said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. Yuji and Akio were brothers and had been another two man team that had come from Kumo.

They were both almost completely identical even in clothing. Both wore a bandana to cover up their hair, both wore their chunin outfits and both had a yellow tint to their eyes. The only difference was that Akio was older than his other brother by three years and thus was also higher.

"Well since you've finally arrived then perhaps we could get that dam flag." Omoi muttered as they all focused on the two conscious Konoha shinobi. They were both standing with their backs to the hotel whit Ino lying unconscious between them and the hotel wall.

"Seems like they expect us to use the blonde as a hostage." Yuji muttered. "Why don't we do that?" Akio asked playfully. "Well maybe because they're guarding her stupid ass." Omoi muttered.

"But they don't know we're four. Yuji was the only one who threw a kunai which means they only think there's one other person here. Konoha are used to three man teams so maybe they think you guys are one."

"That is so crazy that it might actually work." Yuji muttered. "Then we try it. You three will attack while I sneak around the back and get the bitch." With that being said Akio jumped up into the trees. "Well you heard him. Stay away from the shadow user's shadow though." Karui said before she leapt into the clearing with her sword drawn, the other two following close behind.

Karui's sword clashed with the kunai held in Choji's hand. At the same time Omoi flanked around and went in to behead the thick-boned man. However, he had to break off the attack when a shadow floated into his way. On the other side Yuji landed on the ground.

He managed to maneuver himself up to the side of the Nara who had his attention elsewhere. When Shikamaru finally noticed him it was too late. Yuji's fist connected with the wound on his shoulder making him grunt in pain and at the same time lose control.

This opened up for Omoi who again went in for the kill. However, this time Choji was ready for it as he lifted his other hand with another kunai. With his strength he was able to hold them both off, but just barely.

"I would recommend for you to put your weapons down Konoha-san. If you don't then you're teammates will not live to see the light of day." Choji turned his head slightly to see Shikamaru pressed into the ground with a foot pressing into his wound. At the same time there was a kunai pointed at his throat.

At the same time Akio had gotten behind them and was holding Ino by her throat with one hand while the other pressed the edge of a kunai against her head. "Chose wisely Konoha-nin, because you might never see them draw another breath again if you chose wrong."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!" Akane gritted her teeth in frustration as she dodged another set of air bullets. That sand kunoichi was really getting at her nerves and her two teammates weren't really much easier to deal with. She silently cursed everyone she had been placed on a team with for leaving only two people to guard the base.

Tai was having just as much of a difficult time with the two others which indicated that they were stronger than the ones she was fighting. She knew that Tai was stronger than her and it bothered her to some degree that she could end up hurt.

"Doton: Doryūkatsu!" She exclaimed as she tried another attempt to get rid of the sand shinobi. The mountain suddenly split in two where the side where the sand shinobi were standing started falling towards the ground beneath.

"Shit!" Keizo exclaimed as he and his teammates started running for safer grounds. However, Akane had expected this as she had already raised a huge wall that was too big to jump over.

Instead when they reached the wall they started climbing the side of it. As they did earth spikes started shooting out of the side where they were stepping surprising them further. Their feet did quick work of the wall however and they were soon at the top.

However, just as Eichiro was about to jump over the edge, a final spike penetrated the wall. The spike was sent out with great force and he had no way of dodging it. A moment later he had a huge earthen spike sticking out of his chest.

Rui and Keizo stared in horror from the top of the wall as Eichiro lost his footing and fell to his death. Keizo managed to snap out of it, but Rui was stuck staring down at the falling body, her eyes filled with horror.

Akane saw their distracted states and wanted to finish them off, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She threw her elbow back to hit the person in the gut, but said person caught it. "Akane-chan, it's me." She relaxed slightly when she heard Tai's voice.

"Then what are you doing? I could have finished them." Akane responded as she saw Keizo grab Rui and jump off the wall. "We need to leave. The enemy is getting reinforcements and we'll be overpowered if we stay." Tai's urgency was not lost on Akane.

"But what about the flag? We'll lose if they take it." She tried to protest. "Do you want to lose the exam or your life?" The harsh words made Akane change her mind. At the same time both started making their way down the mountain.

Niou and Sanako arrived along the Suna-nin moments later to find Keizo supporting a crying Rui. "Where is Eichiro-san?" Sanako asked. Rui's sobs only intensified making the two realize what had happened.

Keizo gave them a look that said they clearly needed to be alone at that moment and the two kiri-nin didn't hesitate to leave. Instead they set their eyes on the flag on top of the hotel. As they approached the hotel the other scouting team arrived.

"We saw a couple of Iwa-nin flee the sight. Did you get the flag?" Matsuri asked. "We're about to get the flag now, but it came with a cost." Niou said as he kept walking towards the building.

The others stood staring after him as he started to climb. "What does he mean by that?" Kiba asked as he looked back at Sanako. "If you walk around that corner you will see there are only two members left of the once three-man Suna team." She responded.

"You don't mean…?" Sanako only nodded her head before she started following her teammate. The other Suna team quickly made their way to see if what she had said was true meanwhile the Konoha team did not know what to do with themselves.

Niou quickly ascended to the roof. The moment his hand touched the pole of the flag a big cloud of smoke puffed into existence next to him. Out of said smoke stepped Mei with a broad smile on her face.

"Well, I have to admit I did not expect this result." She said as she looked around. "To think that both sides would be able to pull out the flag at the same time is really… unexpected."

"Wait, what are you talking about Godaime-sama?" Sanako asked. "Well it seems like both sides pulled out the opposition's flag at the same time." Mei explained. "So what does that mean for the competition?"

"That's for us to find out. Right now everyone that are still alive is being told to return to their hotels and the buildings will be brought back into the village. When we've reached a decision you will be informed."

The two chunin didn't really like being kept in the dark, but neither did they want to be disqualified so they started making their way back to their hotel. Mei watched them walk for a moment before she disappeared in a shunshin.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Well that was unfortunate." Yamada muttered as he got up from his chair. "What do you mean Mizukage-sama?" Kakashi asked lazily. "As entertaining as this was it seems like we will have to add another part to the exams. Half of the competition was supposed to be taken out by now."

"That just shows how promising our chunin are Mizukage-sama." Samui said with a neutral expression. "Indeed it does…" Yamada trailed of while deep in thought.

"Anyways, I think you should return to your hotels for now. They should be brought back by now." Without question all of them stood, bowed to show respect, and walked out of the room. Once they were all outside Yamada motioned for Haya to come forth.

"Find your brother. He's been gone for way too long." The ANBU nodded before she disappeared from the room. "So I have an idea for the extra part of the exam." Yamada turned his head to look at Mei as she walked into the room.

"Oh really? Do tell."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Haru, despite being on duty, had to admit that the time he was spending with the Suna kunoichi had been the most relaxing time he had the last few weeks. Not even being with his sister had been so relaxing mostly because they had both been working constantly. He had never been able to experience what it was like to just sit back and relax and thus this was a new experience for him.

However, like anything good it had to come to an end. He first realized how long he had been sitting there when he heard his sister's voice from the door of the bar. It's easy to say that she did not sound pleased.

"What is going on here? You're supposed to be on duty." She said as she walked towards her brother. "Your colleague here was just keeping an eye on me like his orders stated." Temari responded for him before taking another swig of the sake.

Haya moved her glare to Temari when the older kunoichi spoke. "Suna-san, you are to report to your hotel. It has been returned to the village." She said harshly. Temari downed the last contents of her bottle before she stood to her feet.

"Don't be too hard on him. He was just doing his job." She said as she passed the ANBU. Haya said nothing until the door of the bar closed behind her. "You broke protocol." She stated simply.

"I know…" Haru replied much to her surprise. She had expected him to hang his head in shame, but instead he was just taking it. Shaking her head she motioned for him to follow. "Come, Mizukage-sama will decide your punishment." Haru did nothing but follow her wordlessly.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada laughed as he caught his daughter mid-leap. He had just arrived at the academy, intent on picking up Kumiko because Tenten had said she had other things to do.

" _She is cheating on you! She is betraying you behind your back."_ He forced the voice silent within his head. Tenten would never do such a thing and it didn't take a genius to figure out. As he released her Kumiko looked up at him with an expectant look.

"Tou-san can you test my affinity?" Yamada raised an eyebrow at the question. "Why are you asking?" He asked as they started the long walk back to the compound. "We learned about nature affinities in school today and I think it sounded cool! Can we try it please, please, please?"

' _And here comes the puppy eyes.'_ Yamada thought in inner amusement as Kumiko's lower lip jutted out slightly. "Tell you what; if you're good and do your homework completely today, we'll check your affinity." Kumiko cheered loudly before she started pushing him to go faster so that she could do her homework faster.

Yamada laughed, but let her push him through the streets. Thanks to the very eager daughter the two arrived at the compound in record time and almost instantly Kumiko disappeared into her room to do her homework.

Once Yamada was sure she was busy he turned to the two shadows that had just arrived within the room. "So what took so long Haru?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Mizukage-sama, he broke protocol and approached the kunoichi." Haya replied before Haru had a chance to talk.

"Oh really…" He trailed off as he turned to the male twin. "And what do you have to say in your defense?" Haru kept himself kneeling on the ground a moment longer before he stood and lifted his gaze to meet Yamada's.

"She had sensed my presence and called me out Mizukage-sama. She seemed to already be expecting to be kept under watch and invited me to get comfortable while I did my job. I apologize for breaking protocol, but I do not regret it."

Yamada gave a neutral look for a moment longer, as if considering his options. After a moment longer he sighed as he nodded. "What is done is done I guess. Just don't let it become repetitive. I hope you didn't get close to her though. It would be bad considering she is a possible enemy in the future."

"We didn't even speak Mizukage-sama. The entire time was spent in silence." Yamada nodded. "I'll let you off with a warning this time." This seemed to displease Haya to some extent.

"With all due respect Mizukage-sama, I feel the need to remind you how serious it is for an ANBU to break protocol. I do not think he should be let of without punishment. I also suggest that, to be on the safe side, he is not allowed to make contact with anyone from another hidden village." She said to the surprise of no one.

It was no secret that the two twins had reversed their roles after the news of their parents' death. While Haru had become slightly more closed off and submissive, Haya had taken on the role as the more aggressive and serious one. She had become very protective of her brother as well and went out of her way to make sure he never stepped out of line, even though sometimes she went to the extremes to do so.

Yamada sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, Haru you're taken off duty for a week and will not be allowed to interact with any of the chunin participants or their guardians. Now both of you leave and for Kami's sake use the door next time you visit."

Haya, who seemed pleased with the punishment, grabbed her brother's hand before they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Once they were gone Yamada sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was very well aware of the fact that Haya was protective of her brother, but sometimes it seemed like she was trying to deny him any way of bonding with anyone other than herself. Yamada found this to be quite a problem to be honest.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the tapping of feet against the floorboards. As Kumiko came into sight he let all his worrisome thoughts go and just focused on her smiling face.

"How can you have finished your homework already?" He asked sounding skeptical. "We had very little homework today tou-san." She replied. Yamada, however, did not look very convinced.

"U-huh… and do you mind if I take a look?" The sudden nervous look that came over Kumiko was more than enough to tell Yamada that she was far from finished. "Um… well the thing is that… there is this part of it I didn't quite understand." She replied as she looked down suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

"Kumiko, what have I and your Kaa-chan told you to do when you don't understand something?" He asked as he started leading her towards her room. "To ask one of you for help." She replied. "But you were talking to those two ANBU and they looked scary."

Yamada had to smile at that. "It's ok; now let's take a look at what you didn't understand." He said as he looked down at the sheet. Once he had scanned over the paper he looked over at Kumiko with dry amusement.

"Have you done anything at all?" Kumiko let out a nervous laugh as she slowly shook her head. Yamada sighed as he motioned for her to sit down. If he was ever going to be a teacher, now was the time to practice.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"This better be important Orochimaru." Danzō stated as he entered the lab. The snake sanin gave him a smirk as he turned to face him. "I've completed my part of the bargain Danzō." Danzō's visible eye widened.

"You mean my weapon is finally ready?" He asked. Instead of answering Orochimaru walked over to a nearby table. There was a white sheet covering the entire table with something that resembled a body underneath. In one swift motion Orochimaru removed the sheet.

Danzō walked over and looked down at his new weapon. "Where did you get her corpse?" He asked. "That was quite easy to get my hands on, especially as soon as I knew where she was buried."

Danzō nodded as he kept inspecting the body. "She doesn't look like much. Are you sure she will be able to do what I want her to do?" He asked. "That and so much more."

"And she will listen to every command I give without question?" When the former snake sanin nodded Danzō straightened up. "You have done good Orochimaru. However, I'm afraid I will have to break our deal." And with that several ROOT agents stormed out of the shadows to grab the sanin.

Everything was silent for a moment as Danzō managed to bask in his small triumph. That was until a sound of humor erupted from Orochimaru. The sound developed into a chuckle which soon became a full blown laugh.

"I had my suspicions that you would do something like this." The sanin said as his laughter died down although the evil smirk never left his face. "That's why I did this." Suddenly the unmoving girl on the table jumped into life.

All Danzō could see was a flash of red hair before he had a foot planed into his stomach which sent him soaring backwards and hit head first into a wall. Next the red-haired test subject disposed of the two holding Orochimaru with two quick kunai to their chests. "Good work my pet." The sanin hissed as the girl started leading the way out, killing everyone that got in their way.

When Danzō came back to himself the first thing he saw was Ryouji crouching over him while shaking his head. "I thought you knew not to trust that snake." He said although he was clearly amused by the ROOT leader's predicament. "The boss will be far from pleased."

"Does it look like I care?! You came to me for help remember. I just accepted to work with you. I could easily break that arrangement!" Danzō spat as he got to his feet. "I think you misunderstood then." Ryouji replied.

"You see we don't really need your help. We could just kill you and your ROOT right now. The only thing we actually needed was the control over the Hokage." If Danzō was surprised he hid it very well.

Instead of paying attention to the blue haired man, however, he decided to call in his troops. "Orochimaru has escaped with the test subject. I want every available operative out looking for them!" He said with barely contained anger.

"I don't think that is such a good idea." Ryouji once again interrupted. "And why, may I ask, is that?" Ryouji just grinned and threw a scroll towards Danzō. "Just got word from the boss."

Danzō quickly opened the scroll and started reading. He then looked at Ryouji who had the look of a predator in his eyes. "It's time to act."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Once Yamada was sure that her homework was finished he brought Kumiko out into the backyard. In his hand he was holding a chakra paper. "Do you know what this is?" He asked as he waved the paper.

"Hai, kaa-chan told me about it. It's called chakra paper!" The brunette stated happily. "That's right Kumiko. This is used to test a person's affinity. If the paper gets wet then you have Suiton, if it cuts in two you have futon, if it smolders to ash you have Katon, if the paper wrinkles you have Raiton and if it turns into dirt you have Doton."

"But don't we have a kekkei genkai?" Kumiko asked curiously. "Yes we do, but it has happened before that it jumps over a generation. That might just happen to you. We'll see soon though." Yamada responded before he handed her the paper.

"Now all you have to do is channel some chakra into the paper. You know how to do that right?" Kumiko nodded before she concentrated on the paper in her hand. At first nothing happened, but then something Yamada had not expected to happen happened.

"That was unexpected." He muttered as he looked at what was once a paper. The piece of paper had changed color to brown and gone stiff. "What does that mean tou-san? Is there something wrong with me?" Kumiko asked with a worried expression.

"No there is nothing wrong with you hime." He was quick to reply. "It just seems that you don't have any normal affinity." He said as he bent down to her height.

Just to be sure he used his kekkei genkai to check for himself. When he was sure it wasn't just a mistake he smiled at his daughter. "It seems you have been born with the Mokuton." He said.

"But… but how?" A very confused Kumiko asked. "Well you see, when me and your mother were… having you, I had only absorbed one kekkei genkai; the Mokuton. It is rare, but sometimes a child of the Hayato clan is born with one of the bloodlines we have integrated into our DNA. And thus you were born with the Mokuton." Yamada explained.

"So I will only be able to control wood?" Yamada thought that his daughter sounded slightly dejected at that. "No, you will be able to use the base elements that make up the Mokuton, Suiton and Doton." He reassured.

Immediately the brunette perked up. "Can you teach me tou-san?" She asked excitedly. Yamada chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Maybe later hime, for now it seems like your mother is back home." He said as he pointed over her shoulder.

If it was even possible, Kumiko brightened even further and rushed towards her mother, eager to tell her about their discovery moments earlier. Yamada stood and calmly walked after her until he reached Tenten's side.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

A very good guess you got there. You're also right in any case; I should develop the Kumo, Iwa side more regardless of where I'm going with the story. I've been kind of lazy in that regard because it takes a lot of work to come up with new and innovative OCs. One can only get so far before it gets repetitive, however, I will try my best.

A turkey

I have been taking my time, as you have probably seen the last two weeks. I can happily say that I passed all my exams. Don't worry though, because I won't be going to college any time soon. To do that I need some time to save up some money first. I am perfectly aware of how much of a bitch college can be though. I've heard it from both my older sisters more than once.

 **AN:** As a fan of the game franchise Xcom; I feel it is my duty to point out the fact that there is way too few fanfics about it. There are really few of them which are strange because it is one of the most open games one could write about. I'm not saying I will write one myself. First of all I don't have the time or the capacity, but I have also promised to write so many other things before that. However, maybe one day in the future I might.

Also sorry for the lack of update last week. It was my last and the most important exam before summer break. Yep, you hear right, the last exam. This means no more lack of chapters! Yay! Honestly though, that was only part of the problem. I have been having a little bit of a writer's block as well. I just didn't know how to continue the story. However, that's no longer a problem and I'm back again! My other story should see an update in the near future as well.

This week's question; have any of you heard of the Xcom franchise, and in that case, have you played it?

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"How is she?" Matsuri asked as Keizo entered the room. He sighed and shook his head. "She's not good at all. She refuses to speak to me and is just lying there emotionlessly." He said.

Rui had not been herself since Eichiro died. After they had gotten back to the hotel she had locked herself within her room. Keizo had managed to get inside and tried to talk to her, but got no positive response.

Matsuri sighed and nodded her head. "The only thing we can do is hope she will get herself together before the next part of the exam I guess." Keizo only nodded in agreement as he sat down.

Some time passed until they heard the door into the common room open. Temari walked inn and cast a quick look around the room. "Well considering you're all here I assume you all passed. However, where are the other two?" She asked as she turned to Keizo.

"R-Rui is in her room and… and Eichiro…" The teen swallowed thickly and looked down. "He's dead." Temari's expression was unmoving for a moment. "I see…" She muttered before she took quick and long strides towards Rui's room.

She almost broke down the door to get inside and came face to face with the tear stained face of Rui. She gave the girl a long hard look before she stepped one step closer.

Rui was almost too shocked to register it when the palm of Temari's hand made contact with her cheek. "Snap out of it." She said as Rui lifted her hand to her cheek. "Teammates die and honestly it is disgraceful to their memory to act like you do now."

By now the rest of the Suna shinobi were standing outside of the room, some of them in complete shock, while listening to the blonde kunoichi. "You think crying over it is going to help. I've been there myself and let me tell you it just makes things worse. Instead of disgracing his memory like this, how about you actually make sure his death counts for something? Get out there and win the exam or get revenge. Honestly I don't care as long as you don't sit in here and feel sorry for yourself."

Not even giving them a chance to respond, Temari walked out of the room. She didn't even spare the others a glance as she entered her own room and slammed the door behind her.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The loud bang from the floor beneath theirs made the Konoha shinobi jump slightly. "Troublesome… it looks like the Suna teams aren't taking their loss to well." Shikamaru muttered.

He was currently seated in the healing room along with Ino and Choji and all three of them were finishing up the healing on their respective wounds. Ino's had been the easiest to fix and she was mostly just there because her teammates were still there. "Those Kumo shinobi were very strong." Choji muttered changing the subject.

"Yeah, we were taken out so quickly too." Ino added in a dejected tone. Shikamaru cast a look at both of them. They both seemed to be depressed and he couldn't blame them. They almost never lost a fight before. However, they hadn't been working together in the war as much as they usually did and the Nara had feared it would have damaged their teamwork.

Now when he looked back on the fight he saw several scenarios that could have been done better. He found himself angered by the fact that he didn't think of it sooner and he also felt guilty. However, one person within the team had to keep their spirits up.

"It is troublesome, but don't forget that we were outnumbered. They did also possess skill that we couldn't counter. It was also a mistake to leave just one team to guard the home base. There is not much else we could have done in the heat of the moment." He said.

The two others didn't respond.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Akane looked around the common room with a guarded stance. From her spot in the corner she could see the entire team from Iwa. Surprisingly there weren't that many left of them. She wasn't grieving their deaths though.

She had barely known any of them and those she did know were barely acquaintances anymore. There were about three of the nameless shinobi sitting around doing absolutely nothing and it unnerved her.

Only when Tai returned to the room did she let the tension in her shoulders ease up. The purple haired woman smiled at her as she handed her the food she had gotten from the chefs in the hotel. It was a simple meal, but it would fill her need for food just fine.

"Have they done anything at all while I was gone?" She asked as she sat down in the chair next to Akane. "No, they're just staring out into the air. I don't think I've even seen them eat, like ever." The gray haired girl responded.

Tai nodded her head and focused on her food although she did keep an eye on the three. As they ate a comfortable silence settled over them. The two never had any problems being close to each other and often preferred it instead of being apart.

"It's getting late." Tai pointed out as they finished their food. As they put down their plastic plates the two started making their way towards the bedrooms. Since the entire floor was designated for Iwa they all had one separate bedroom each.

However, instead of splitting up and going to different rooms the two entered the same room and quickly closed the door before anyone could see. "So what do you think about the opposition so far?" Tai asked as she walked into the small bathroom that was attached.

"Those Suna shinobi are decent, but they didn't really impress me. I would have had them if not for their reinforcements from Konoha. I managed to take out one of them though." Akane said as she started putting on her pajamas.

"I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't immediately take out the two kiri-nin." She added. The purple-haired woman let out a short laugh as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Those two were actually quite skilled I'll let you know." She responded. "The one with the sword was obviously the team leader of the two. He quickly saw through my style, but still had problems blocking me."

As they talked they both got ready and started crawling under the covers. "I wonder what the extra exam is going to be. Since there are barely any teams left it leaves me thinking it isn't going to be a team exercise." Akane said as she lay on her back.

"Who knows, all we can do is be prepared." Tai said. Akane hummed her agreement before she turned on her side and snuggled into the older woman. "Goodnight." She muttered as her eyed closed.

She felt soft lips connect with her forehead and a muttered 'goodnight' in return before they both drifted off into sleep.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Karui… have… have I ever told you how amazingly hot you are." Akio slurred as he leaned against the wall. In his hand was an empty sake bottle which was a clear sign that he was obviously not himself.

That didn't stop Karui from delivering a punch to his face though. "Shut up you stupid-ass." She muttered as she stomped away. Not far away Yuji was laughing his ass off while Omoi looked unimpressed.

Samui kept her passive gaze on the two teams although in reality she was keeping an eye on the others in the room. They were not to be trusted. She didn't need to be a genius to know that. She had already found them to be shady before the exams, but this only seemed to confirm it.

They were all just staring blankly in front of them. It was like they didn't even care about what the others in the room were doing. She honestly did not understand where the Raikage had found them or how he could trust them.

However, that was none of her concern. Right now the only thing that concerned her was Omoi and Karui's safety. She would stay up until they had all gone to sleep. She wanted to make sure none of them tried anything.

"Samui-senpai, you're really hot you know!" She was brought out of her musings when Akio's face appeared right in front of her own. She gave him an impassive look. "Chunin Akio, you have five seconds to remove yourself from my personal space." She said calmly.

Akio seemed too drunk to understand because five seconds later he was still in her face. Ten seconds later his head was sticking out through a nearby wall as Samui lowered her fist like it was nothing.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"What's bothering you?" Haku looked up from the mission report she was writing to Chōjūrō. "What do you mean?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"You've been staring at that scroll for about ten minutes now. Normally you would have finished the report so I'm asking what's bothering you." He repeated as he leaned his sword against the bed.

Haku stayed silent for a moment. "It's not something that's bothering me per say. I think something is bothering Yamada." When Chōjūrō sent her a questioning gaze she continued. "Ever since he took the mantle as Mizukage he's been acting strange is all I'm saying. He stayed in his office nonstop for two weeks and he barely wanted to talk to anybody more than it was necessary."

"Now when you say it like that…" He muttered. "It does sound strange yes." Haku nodded her agreement. "I also talked with Tenten-san not too long ago and she said when he finally did come home he almost immediately stormed out of the house and didn't return until really late at night."

"That does sound strange, but have you considered that it can be the pressure that's getting too him. He has been doing a lot lately." The blue-haired man said as he sat down beside her.

"I tried telling myself that too, but I just got this feeling." Haku muttered. They were silent for a moment. Both seemed to be in their own thoughts. Minutes passed before one of them finally spoke again.

"Let's wait and see what happens first of all. This might just be paranoia and everything can actually be fine. Besides, he's been getting better in the last couple of days." Chōjūrō suggested. "I guess…" Haku muttered although the frown wouldn't leave her face.

Chōjūrō grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go to bed." He said. "I'll be there soon. I just have to finish the mission report." Chōjūrō nodded and gave her a quick kiss before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Haku turned her attention back to the scroll before her. _'He is probably right. It's just paranoia. I-'_ Her thought process stopped as she saw movement outside the window.

Getting up from her desk she slowly moved up to the glass and peered outside into the dark. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a bird sitting on the roof opposite of their apartment.

' _I'll finish the report tomorrow. I think I really need a good night's sleep.'_ Unknown to her, someone was clinging to the wall just beneath the window.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"So what are you thinking Kakashi?" Kurenai asked quietly. They had already checked to make sure no one else was in the room and the genjutsu mistress had cast a genjutsu on the room just as extra security.

"Apparently bringing Yamato along was a bad idea. It doesn't seem like Yamada is too happy to see him. You haven't done something to upset him have you?" Kakashi asked. "Nothing that I know of. We haven't talked since before he left Konoha though."

"Do you think that the four years you were kidnapped could have something to do with it?" Kurenai asked. "Perhaps… but that still shouldn't make him react like he did." Yamato responded.

"Regardless of the reason it is obvious that Yamato upsets him for some reason. So it will be up to me and Kurenai to convince him to take Konoha's side." Kakashi concluded. "Yes, about that, how are we supposed to do it when not even Tenten can do it?" Kurenai questioned.

"We'll see if we can't get him into a private conversation with just the two of us. Hopefully he will listen and if not… then we must hope that Tenten manages to convince him."

While the two discussed what they would speak to Yamada about, Yamato was staring out into the night sky. He was trying to think any and all way he could have offended Yamada.

Was it because of his kidnapping? No, it couldn't be it. It was far from his fault after all. He knew Yamada wouldn't blame him for something like that.

Was it that he fought against the allied forces five years ago? No that couldn't be it either. He was under outside control after all. Again, he was pretty sure Yamada wouldn't blame him for that. Neither could it be that he hadn't contacted him after the war because he thought he was dead.

So, with other words, Yamato had no idea of what he had done wrong. But one thing was for certain; he was dam well going to find out.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The nightmares returned. Yamada's eyes slowly slid open to reveal the roof of the bedroom. After a few nights with a good sleep the nightmares finally returned.

He honestly wasn't sure of what he was expecting. The being he had met had promised to rid his mind of the nightmares and in return he would consider the accusations the voice within his mind made.

However he couldn't. He couldn't doubt Tenten like that. _"And that is why you're a fool."_ Sounded within his mind. His train of thought stopped for a moment as he considered the words.

Was it actually true what the being was saying? It hadn't given him any reason to distrust it after all…

No, he couldn't think like this. How would it be able to know anyways? From what he understood it was stuck within his head. So how could it know any of this? No, he wouldn't believe it.

With a final sigh he wormed himself out of Tenten's grasp. When he looked at the clock he wasn't surprised that it was early, too early to be waking Tenten. Instead he quietly dressed and made his way out of the room.

As he made his way down the hall he stopped outside Kumiko's room. Slowly and quietly sliding the door open Yamada peaked inside. Kumiko was sound asleep, lying on her side with her mouth open and a bit of drool leaking from her open mouth.

Yamada smiled softly before he closed the door again. He would let her sleep a couple of hours more. Having nothing else to do Yamada started making his way to work. He couldn't sleep so why not go to work a couple of hours early.

As he arrived at the tower he wasn't surprised to find that his bodyguards hadn't arrived yet. Neither was he surprised that his secretary was there already. She was always there when he arrived in the morning and always there when he left for the night. It was like she never left.

After greeting the secretary and getting some coffee Yamada sat down behind his desk with a sigh. _'Time to get some work done!'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

When Tenten awoke she tried to find the warmth of the body that was supposed to be next to her. She sighed when she wasn't able to find it. When she opened her eyes she wasn't surprised that he wasn't there.

She was honestly getting very concerned for him. Four years ago the nightmares started and since then he had only been getting worse. However, lately it seemed that the process had been accelerated or something.

She was pretty sure something was wrong, but it frustrated her that he wouldn't tell her. He was keeping something secret, she knew that for sure. Even when he thought he managed to get away with a lie, the only reason why was that she had let him.

She figured that if she gave him time he would tell her eventually. However, it seemed that it wasn't the case. With a sigh she got up out of the bed. _'I shouldn't be thinking of this right now'_ She thought as she started getting dressed.

However, the thoughts didn't leave her mind for the entire morning. She was distracted the entire time and it seemed even Kumiko noticed it. Several times the girl had asked her if something was wrong. However, not wanting her little girl to worry, Tenten smiled and said it was nothing.

As she arrived at the academy Yumi stood ready as always. The younger woman also seemed to notice how distracted Tenten was because she sent Kumiko on ahead.

"Ok, spill and tell me what's up." She said and Tenten sighed. "It's just that… Yamada's been acting more and more strange lately." Yumi nodded her head as her gaze softened.

"Yeah, but isn't that part of the job. You know being Mizukage isn't just about the perks." Yumi said. "What? No, that's not what I meant." Tenten quickly responded.

"What did you mean then?" Yumi asked in confusion. Tenten sighed. "Come by the house when you're done for the day. Then I'll tell you." Yumi hesitated for a moment before she relented. It was probably the best since she had work that needed to be done anyways.

"Alright, you can tell Yamada that I'll be bringing Kumiko home today then." Tenten smiled and nodded. "Will do and thank you." She said before starting the walk back home.

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Akane startled awake as some kind of alarm went off within the hotel. She looked up at Tai who had, on reflex, jumped out of the bed and grabbed the kunai on the nightstand. Both of them shared a look before they quickly got dressed and made for the exit of the room.

However, they paused before they opened the door, because on the inside of the door was a sign that neither of them had seen before. "Meet in the lobby?" Akane said before she turned a questioning gaze to Tai.

The purple-haired woman only shrugged and started making her way down the stairs. When they arrived in the lobby they were faced with the same choice as the other day. Several tables with several kinds of equipment, only this time there was a sign that said 'stealth is a shinobi's best friend.'

After they grabbed their necessary equipment they walked outside of the hotel. The Kumo teams were there already and so were the Suna, Konoha and Kiri teams. A moment of waiting proved fruitful as an ice mirror materialized in between the two groups.

A moment later a figure stepped out of the mirror. This person was obviously dressed in the Kirigakure hunter-nin uniform and they were also very obviously female.

"Welcome to the third exam. I am your proctor." She said as she motioned for both groups to get closer. With great hesitation they all started gathering in one spot although there was still a rift between the two sides.

"In this exam we will be testing your skill in stealth as well as information retrieval. Every individual person will be blindfolded and transported to one corner of the village's inner circle. Your job will be to make it to the building in the middle of the village, retrieve a scroll and get back." Haku explained.

"That sounds sort of easy." Akio said with a grin. Haku turned and gave him a chilling stare. "I wasn't finished." She said in such a tone that clearly said not to interrupt her again.

"The whole village will be under lockdown. The streets and rooftops will be patrolled by chunin of kiri who will not hesitate to kill you if they see you. In the building where the scroll is located there are people who were handpicked by the Mizukage patrolling. You will have to sneak past all of these to get to the scroll. You can use whatever method you want to make your way there. Any questions?"

"Can we kill?" One random Kumo-nin asked. "You may not kill any of our shinobi. If you run into anyone else from the exam then its fair game." Haku responded. "What if we get caught by one of the guards?" Tai asked while raising an expectant eyebrow.

"If you get caught then you're still not allowed to kill. You can only maim and escape again." Tai nodded with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Anything else?" Haku asked as she looked around.

"What does the scroll look like?" Shikamaru asked. "You will find that out once your blindfolds are removed. Each person has a separate scroll design and before you ask, no you cannot sabotage by taking someone else's scroll. If you try to take someone else's scroll… let's just say you'll be in for a surprise."

After a short silence Haku gave a silent incline of her head. "Then since there are no questions we will begin." Suddenly a sharp smell filled the area. As Haku disappeared one by one the chunin dropped to the ground unconscious.

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One hour later Akane awoke with a start and quickly looked around. "Calm down, we just did that to bring you to your starting post." Haku said calmly in front of her. Akane blinked a couple of times before she reached up to rub her eyes.

"I thought you said you would give us blindfolds, not knock us out." She complained as she got to her feet. "We found this method more practical." Haku replied with a shrug.

"So when am I starting?" Akane barely managed to catch the scroll that was thrown at her. "Now." Was all Haku said before she exploded into several ice shards.

Akane quickly opened the scroll and looked at the description of her scroll. Underneath the description was a map of the village. There were no indications of showing where the building was or where she was starting however.

' _Looks like I will have to find this out myself.'_ She thought as she studied the map closely. _'Let's see here… if I go by geography then this is supposed to be the middle of the village.'_ She thought as she pointed at a weird looking building.

' _However, if I go by village standards then it's here.'_ She added as she turned her gaze to the Mizukage tower. _'It would make somewhat sense, I mean if there is a true meaning to this test.'_

She stayed right there for a while debating with herself on what to do. After a long moment she managed to decide which one to go for. Rolling up the scroll, Akane got to her feet and started making her way into the village.

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She didn't regret her decision to speaking to Rui. The girl would have never survived the rest of the exam otherwise. Of course she could have been calmer and she could have sounded less angry as well.

Temari couldn't deny that most of the speech was because of the large amount of alcohol she had consumed. However, she still didn't regret it. After all, she wasn't given much time to grieve over her brother before she had to return to her duties.

She was glad that the girl had taken her words to heart though. When Temari got up, the two teams were just leaving and she could tell, from the look on the girl's face that she was using the boy's demise to fuel her motivation for going forward. If it was for revenge or something else she didn't know and honestly she didn't care.

But as she was now thinking about it the thoughts of her dead brother returned. So instead of going to watch the exams with the other jonin and the Mizukage, she walked back to the same bar that she was at last night.

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"How troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he moved from one shadow to the next. He really didn't like this exam. It was easy to figure out, but too much of a bother to do.

However, what he was really worried about was his teammates. Choji could handle is own just fine so he wasn't too worried about him. Ino on the other hand was very much weak without her clan techniques. There was really no way to sugarcoat it.

"Who's there?" Shikamaru sank further into the shadow of the alley he was hiding in. A chunin walked inwards with a kunai at the ready as he looked around with vigilance.

' _I can't continue if he doesn't walk away. Luckily we didn't get a time limit. That would have been too troublesome.'_ The Nara thought as he slowly crept up behind the man. Without missing a beat he chopped the man in the neck making him fall to the ground unconscious.

"Hey!" Shikamaru lazily looked over his shoulder at the three other chunin standing there. "Troublesome…" He muttered.

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An explosion sounded in the distance and Keizo grinned as several chunin scurried in that direction. _'My distraction worked!'_ He thought as he quickly made his way towards the middle of the village.

It seemed that these shinobi were told to investigate every sound as a threat which worked greatly to his advantage. He had simply planted a bunch of exploding tags on the streets in one area and made them go off. It was a gamble that no one would find them, but it seemed to have paid off.

Something he found peculiar was that the village leader didn't seem to mind damages to his village. Keizo wasn't complaining about it, but were they really so wealthy that they could just allow their city to be blown up if need be?

"Hey you!" Keizo's eyes widened when he saw the chunin that had shouted his name. _'It seems I got careless.'_ He thought as he quickly changed course.

He dived inn through a window and barely escaped a hail of kunai. "Jeez, when she said they would kill us she didn't lie alright." He muttered as he ran through the apartment and jumped out of the window on the other side.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!" The moment he appeared outside of the window he was blasted to the side and slammed straight into a wall. As he crumpled to the ground several chunin arrived at the scene, ready to take him down.

"Shit, you guys… really… aren't playing around." Keizo wheezed as he got to his feet. He then smirked. "Too bad you already lost me." He said before his body erupted into a fiery explosion.

Inside the apartment Keizo watched his clone explode before he continued on his way.

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Rui had chosen to stick to the rooftops when she started off. Whenever she would see a patrol, she would stop and find a place to hide until they had passed her. The waiting parts she would use to plot out how she would murder the Iwa-nin that killed her teammate.

Yes she had chosen the path of revenge and no, she didn't regret it. She was going to show that bitch exactly what it felt like. Unfortunately most of the Iwa-nin were already dead, however, that didn't mean she couldn't inflict the woman personal pain.

That's why she had chosen the more quiet approach. If she was lucky enough to run into the Iwa-nin, then she wanted to preserve as much energy as she could.

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"Wait, so this exam is for the chunin to get here of all places?" Samui asked with an arched eyebrow. "Don't worry; this room is sealed off so they won't even know we're here." Yamada responded from behind his desk.

"That's not a bad idea for a test Mizukage-sama." Kakashi said although he sounded completely disinterested. "Yeah, well you will have to thank my predecessor for that. She really pulled through on that one." The Mizukage responded before he looked back up on the screen.

"Looks like your shinobi is having a field day Akatsuchi-san."

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Indeed Tai was having a very easy time getting through the village. With her Byakugan she had been able to make out the pattern of how the chunin patrolled and easily made her way through the gaps of their routine.

She was honestly having no trouble getting through the streets as she carefully watched every chunin in the surrounding area. However, her eyes often drifted to the one person that had started closest to her. Akane was having a much more difficult time, but she was making her way too.

The purple-haired woman wanted to be absolutely sure that her… friend was ok and was delighted when she found out how close to each other they had started. She would not let the younger woman come to harm even if it meant her failing.

After they had met they had instantly hit it off together and over time they had grown closer and closer. Back then Tai didn't really have anybody and that was one of the bigger reasons she grew so attached to Akane.

When it was announced that they were going to the jonin exams in Kirigakure she promised herself she was going to keep the younger woman safe no matter what. So far it had been going well, but she was uncertain of how it would go later in the exams. She wouldn't be able to protect her later on if she wasn't allowed to interfere.

However, no matter if that time came she would still do her best. On her watch no one would ever be able to touch a straw of hair on her head without losing the hand they used.

As she thought this she saw that someone was approaching Akane and from the looks of it, it was another participant in the chunin exams. Changing her course Tai started on her way towards Akane's location.

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Reviews

Immatx

I'm glad you understand and even more so since you liked the chapter. I am going to do my best to get just about an equal amount of insight from both sides from now on. Haru and Haya will keep being central pieces in my story so don't worry about that.  
Also, if you're interested in turn-based strategy games then Xcom is the game for you. The original version was awarded the best strategy game of all time and the reboot is pretty good as well.

Guest

What girl? You will have to be a little bit more specific. ;)

 **AN:** God damit… I spilled soda on my keyboard and now it's almost impossible to write. I'll have to find another computer to write this on. The only problem is that I can't take my other computer anywhere if I'm lagging behind. However, I don't have much of a choice in the matter now that I think about it.

So this weeks' question; have you ever spilled something on your computer?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

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Akio rubbed his sore head as he hid. "Who the hell convinced me to drink the other day? Dam my head hurts like hell… and that knockout gas didn't work in my favour either." He muttered.

Luckily for him he hadn't met too much opposition so far which was good. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to fight anyone in what was his current condition. There was the occasional chunin now and then, but otherwise it seemed that the other participants had dragged them all away.

However, he did feel some very puny chakra signatures in the area. They were too weak to be very much of a threat unless they specialized in genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. Either way he wasn't going to take any chances with his pounding head

As the one to his right approached he carefully hid from whoever it was. As she walked out he immediately recognized her as the pink haired girl from Konoha. However, if he didn't know any better he would think she wanted to be seen.

She wasn't doing anything to cloak her chakra and she wasn't even looking around for threats. _'Well, even if it is puny competition it's still competition. Might as well take her out and end her misery.'_ Akio thought as he jumped down to street level.

The girl seemed to first now notice his presence because she let out a very loud noise of surprise. "Jesus, could you keep it down? I had a rough night yesterday." Akio said as he rubbed his head.

The girl seemed to finally realize he was a hostile because she entered a defensive position. If Akio didn't know any better he would say she hadn't developed her style since she got out of the academy. Her stance was full of openings and Akio could already think of five ways to beat her.

(How obvious is it that I dislike Sakura?)

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked as her hand tightened around the hilt of a kunai. Akio grinned wickedly. "Isn't it obvious? You're competition and I'm here to eliminate you!"

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Yuji ducked under the stream of water that was shot at him from the chunin guard. At the same time he maneuvered out of the Inuzuka's way who slammed straight into the chunin that had used the water.

Kiba stopped spinning with Akamaru and turned his alert eyes to the Kumo shinobi. "So you're an Inuzuka right? I've heard of your clan." Kiba had a moment where he felt pride that his clan was known even in Kumo.

"Your clan is into bestiality right?" The pride instantly shattered and was replaced with rage. "WHAT!?" He thundered as he once again spun into a tornado with his dog. Yuji smiled as he accomplished what he wanted.

An experience he had learned in his life was that clan members, didn't matter which clan, where extremely proud of themselves and their clan. Insulting one or the other would hurt their pride and make them act out of anger. It was a simple tactic, one that was not supposed to work on a wannabe jonin.

So he dodged once again and Kiba turned his furious eyes towards him. "So wait… if your family likes to fuck dogs… was your father a dog?" Yuji asked with a horrified expression. He did not seem to notice that the Inuzuka was doing a jutsu.

"Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō!" His mock expression changed as his eyes turned to fully face the Inuzuka. "Well dam…" He muttered with a smirk when he saw a giant two-headed dog not too far in front of him.

His smirk changed into a grin as electricity started sparking around his hands. "Looks like this just turned interesting."

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Akane sensed the Konoha shinobi long before he arrived at her location. The huge man wasn't hard to spot either and apparently so thought the chunin that were supposed to guard the city. Instead of walking or hiding from the chunin he had turned into a huge wheel and was wheeling down the street too fast for the chunin to stop him.

It almost made her laugh because it just looked so comical. That was her first mistake. A kunai whistled through the air and imbedded itself in her arm. A sound of surprise followed by a hiss of pain escaped her as she turned to see who it was.

She was honestly surprised to see the blonde Konoha shinobi behind her. "Leave my teammate alone." She growled angrily. Akane chuckled as she pulled the kunai out of her arm.

"I wasn't going to do anything. That fatso has ninety percent of the chunin after him. I was going to let them deal with him. You on the other hand… you've just pissed me off." She informed as she cracked her neck.

Ino was already in a ready fighting stance and it was kind of impressive to Akane. It had very few holes in it and was obviously well developed. This led her to believe that there was someone from a clan standing directly in front of her.

The girl didn't look though, but one could never be too careful after all. "Doton: Doryūsō!" She suddenly exclaimed and slammed her hands into the ground. The Konoha-nin looked surprised, but narrowly dodged the attack.

Akane followed up by pulling out a kunai and sprinting over the small stretch of roof that separated them. Doing a horizontal slash she just managed to catch the blonde in the side before she made some more distance.

Akane chuckled as she wiped the blood off of the blade in her hand. "You really are as weak as you look aren't you." She only received a glare in response, but that was all she needed.

Well, no matter. Since you were so bold as to attack me why don't you face the consequences?" Without waiting another moment she sprinted forward and continued her assault. She was honestly surprised that they hadn't attracted any chunin yet. However, when that boulder of a boy had disappeared down the street she concluded that he had dragged them all after him.

She wasn't really surprised with the fact that she encountered resistance in the girl's taijutsu. It seemed to be her only strong point although even there she was weaker than Akane.

However, when Akane was about to kick her away, Ino grabbed her foot and pulled it hard. Akane stumbled forward and the other girl used this to her advantage. As Akane struggled to regain her balance Ino formed the necessary handseals for her clan jutsu.

"Shinranshin no-" She didn't get any further as a quick hit with a chakra enhanced fist stopped her. An elbow then connected with the side of her head knocking her backwards before a roundhouse kick connected with her face sending her off the edge and plummeting to the streets.

Akane had finally regained her balance and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Tai standing at the edge of the roof looking down. "Did you kill her?" She asked as she too walked up to the edge. "Yes." The older woman responded before she turned a harsh glare her way.

"You got overconfident." She stated making Akane roll her eyes. "Yes, I know and it won't happen again. Now can we get to the point where I thank you for saving me?" Tai took a step towards the next roof.

"We don't have time. The chunin are going to be here to investigate the sound they heard." Akane wanted none of it though. She grabbed Tai's hand and forcefully yanked her so that she stumbled into the younger girl.

Their lips connected in a passionate kiss that lasted longer than either of them needed at that moment. When they pulled apart their breathing was heavy and their eyes lidded. "We need to move… I can see them on their way here." Akane nodded and together they continued on their way to the Mizukage tower.

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As Shikamaru was making his way he stumbled upon someone he hadn't been expecting. Matsuri was hiding not too far from him in what appeared to be a cart full of hay. Now why someone would place something like that in the middle of the village he didn't know. As far as he knew every village got all their food from traders and farms outside of the village.

(Anyone who has played assassin's creed will know what I just did there.)

However, instead of leaving her be and continuing on his own Shikamaru figured it would be less troublesome if he had someone to watch his back. So instead he approached the younger girl and decided to befriend her for the time being. She eagerly accepted his help and the two where soon on their way.

Now if only Shikamaru would be able to handle her talk about her precious 'Gaara-sama.

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Keizo had arrived at the building that was supposed to be the middle of the village, but something seemed to be off. There were only normal chunin patrolling and nothing else. But why would the Mizukage himself handpick a bunch of chunin?

However, before he had the chance to contemplate some more he was pulled back by two arms. He began thrashing around until he noticed who had pulled him back in the first place.

"Yukata don't sneak up on people like that." He said while holding a hand over his heart. Matsuri's teammate merely rolled her eyes. "Whatever, what were you doing here anyways?" She asked.

"I was doing the assigned task." Yukata stared at him for a moment longer. "Are you really that stupid?" Keizo had to fight the urge of yelling at that. "What the hell do you mean? The scroll said the middle of the village." He responded.

"And what is the middle of a ninja village you stupid ass." She responded. He gave her a dumb look which made her shake her head in frustration. "The Mizukage's tower you idiot. That's where every decision of power happens and it's the center of a hidden village."

Keizo's mouth formed an 'O' shape as everything dawned on him. That would explain the lax security in the building he was scoping out earlier. "Then why aren't you on your way there?" This time he received a fist to the head. "I was on my way there, but then I saw your stupid ass sitting on the roof in plain sight!"

Keizo opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again. "Now come on. You better keep up or I'll leave you behind." She said before she took off with Keizo right behind her.

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Akio almost yawned as he kept beating on the pink haired girl. Was this girl supposed to be jonin material? He honestly didn't know if that or the fact that she thought she could get away from him was the most pathetic.

However, he was surprised by her will. With one ankle broken and her left arm useless he was surprised that she was still going. However, that was going to end pretty soon now.

Akio calmly walked up beside her wobbling form and slung his arm out to the side. It hit her right in the head making her fall to the ground. "Well it's been fun, but now I think it's time to end this little game." He said as he fished out a kunai.

"N-no wait… I… I can help you g-get to the M-Mizukage tower." She stammered out. "Why would I want to go to the Mizukage tower?" Akio asked obviously confused.

"W-well the- the center of an h-hidden village is the k-kage's office." The pink haired girl explained. "Huh, what about that…" Akio mumbled. "Well thanks for the information. I'll make sure to use it well." Without waiting for more of her pleading he sent the kunai flying. Moments later it embedded itself in her chest.

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Yuji looked over at his obviously exhausted enemy. He had just deformed from the huge two-headed dog and from what it looked like it seemed to take a lot out of him. "Well that was fun!" He said.

The glare he received in return sparked a smirk. "What? You thought you could finish me with that move? You were faster yes, but not nearly fast enough." He said, making himself sound more arrogant than ever.

"So what now? You gonna finish me off?" Kiba barked although internally he was hoping for the opposite. "I don't need to." Yuji said which made Kiba's shoulders relax. "Instead I'll let these guys do it." He said as suddenly a group of chunin arrived.

Before anyone could do anything more Yuji threw a kunai with an explosive tag between himself and Kiba and detonated it. The blast forced Kiba backwards. When the smoke cleared Kiba was the only one left of the two parts as Yuji had quickly fled the area.

A chunin walked up to Kiba and unsheathed a kunai. "Any last words Konoha-nin." He asked. There was surprise in Kiba's eyes as he had never expected to feel pity of the man that was about to kill him. However, he had realized that his end was not far away.

"Please… please send Akamaru back to Konoha for me." The chunin looked over at the battered nin-dog before he nodded. "It will be done." Kiba nodded his head and closed his eyes, ready to face his death.

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"When Rui arrived at the Mizukage tower she immediately understood what kind of resistance she would be facing. There were several jonin guarding the place and the gaps in their routine were so small that she almost didn't see how they were supposed to get in.

Several other places around the tower others were thinking the same. Shikamaru wasn't having a hard time finding a tactic, but didn't have the resources to execute most of them, Akio was pondering if an explosion would distract them long enough, Keizo and Yukata where quietly arguing over which of their plans where better, Yuji had just arrived after running into the two teammates of team Samui who remarkably had managed to not be seen by anyone and the only surviving member of team eight from Konoha was quietly observing the tower.

The only ones who didn't seem to know what to do where Tai and Akane whom were getting closer and closer to the tower. "You sure this opening is big enough for us to sneak in?" Akane asked in doubt.

"Yes, the two guards will turn in different directions leaving the front unguarded as another two walk up to take their place. In that small window there will be no one watching the front entrance. That is our chance. If we're fast enough then none of the guards will see us."

"But what about inside? Won't there be guards there too?" Akane asked. "I've already checked within the building and none of the guards are guarding the hallway right inside. Now stop doubting me." Tai said getting quite irked by all the questions.

Their moment was now only seconds away. "Get ready." The purple haired woman muttered. "… Now!" She whispered and the two started off at full speed towards the entrance. Everyone else were watching the two's attempt with interest, except one.

All Rui was focused on was Akane and the anger that was bubbling within herself. Without even thinking it over she jumped down from the roof and sprinted after the two older women. "What the hell is she doing?" Keizo asked in alarm.

"She's going to get herself killed." He added as he jumped down as well. "Keizo wait!" Yukata shouted without thinking. The jonin immediately turned in that direction and several jumped down from the roofs. Keizo and Yukata was stopped from getting further by three jonin and had to watch as Rui disappeared through the main doors right behind Akane and Tai.

Meanwhile others had used the distraction to their advantage. Yuji and Akio teamed up and knocked out the remaining guards along with team Samui. Meanwhile, since everyone seemed occupied, Shino walked calmly up to the main entrance followed by Shikamaru and Matsuri who seemed more hesitant.

"Where is the rest of team eight Shino?" Shikamaru asked lazily. "I do not know. Why? Because I have not run into them yet." The Aburame responded. Matsuri looked over at her teammate and bit her lip. The two were up against three jonin and she wasn't sure if they would make it.

So she decided that, instead of the easy way inn, she would do something else. Shikamaru wasn't surprised when he heard her feet clack against the floor then the dirt outside as she ran to help the other two Suna-nin.

Up on the roof the Kumo team up had just finished the last jonin and quickly went for the stairs that led down into the tower. The only ones who hadn't entered the tower yet were the remainders of the Suna shinobi.

When Matsuri grew closer she took out her Jōhyō and used it to bind one of the jonin before dragging him too her. She then followed up by delivering a swift kick to the man's side making him fall over onto the ground, still bound.

"That's one! Come on you two, we can take them!" She shouted to the two who just now noticed her presence. It seemed to lift their spirits that someone else were helping them as well because they immediately jumped into action.

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As the four Kumo shinobi made their way down the halls they found it strange that, so far, they hadn't run into any opposition. It was like all the guards where posted outside of the tower and no one had bothered appointing someone to guard the inside. None of them complained though as they easily made their way from room to room without much problem. The only thing that was in any of the rooms was a mug of water and there seemed to be one placed in every room.

"Ok, there are four rooms left at this floor. I say we split up and we all check one room each." Akio said. "But what if we run into any guards?" Yuji said, sounding quite skeptical of the plan.

"Dude, we haven't run into any so far. I doubt they're even guarding the inside. We'll be fine." Yuji still didn't like the plan, but he didn't voice that as they all split up to go to different rooms.

Akio arrived at his room and kicked the door down. It was empty. Karui did the same and was also greeted by an empty room.

Yuji however, opened his door carefully. The room was also empty except a board hanging on the wall. On the board there was a drawing of a hallway and several rooms connected to it. "It's a map of the floor." He muttered as he studied the map.

All the rooms were labeled empty except for one that was marked with the word 'Surprise'. "That's…" His eyes widened before he sprinted into the hallway.

"Omoi!" He shouted just as an explosion rocked the building. The explosion had sounded from the room Omoi had walked into. The other two sprinted into the hallway and followed Yuji into the room.

What they saw when they entered was horrifying. Omoi was sitting up against the wall, the lower part of his body separated from the upper part. Imbedded in the wall was a huge sword that would remind anyone of its owner. Karui looked horrified and for good reason. Omoi's insides where spilling out on the floor and blood covered a good part of the room.

Their attention was brought back to reality when they heard footsteps splashing in the blood covered room. A figure walked up and grabbed the hilt of the sword. "Ah… I love a fresh cut in the afternoon."

Suigetsu turned around with a crazed smile on his face. Just then all the doors behind the three opened. Out of every room a clone of Suigetsu stepped out, all of them wearing that grin.

"Now… let the fun begin."

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Akane went rigid when she felt the tower shake with an explosion. "What's happening?" She asked in an alarmed tone. "It seems that the Kumo teams encountered some trouble upstairs." Tai responded as she stopped.

"Shouldn't we be worried then?" Akane asked with a raised eyebrow. "Like I said if there were any threats I would see them." Tai said again. "Speaking of which…" She added as she turned around.

"The Suna girl has been following us the entire time." Just then Rui walked into view with fury within her eyes. "You killed my teammate." She stated simply, eyes burning into Akane's skull.

"Right… I did that." Akane responded with wide eyes. She knew they would be pissed about it, but this girl seemed like she was about to blow up the entire village.

Rui still seemed calm although the anger in her eyes was threatening to explode. "I'm going to kill you for it." She added after a long silence. Akane actually seemed concerned. They were in a tight hallway with not much room for movement. She wouldn't be able to maneuver properly.

"However… I know how important this exam is for my village. That's why I'm going to let it got for now. I just wanted to let you know that if I ever see you on the battlefield… I'm going to unleash hell on you."

Akane nodded. She understood the pain the girl had been through. After all, her original team had all died. Rui turned and started walking down another hallway. "If it means anything; I'm sorry." Akane shouted after her. Rui stopped for a moment before she continued walking.

Tai who had been observing the whole interaction placed a hand on Akane's shoulder in a silent question. Akane nodded her head in response and they continued their walk down the hallway.

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Niou cursed as he seemed to arrive last of all the contestants. When they had started he had used up to an hour to find Sanako who had also at the same time been trying to find him, but going in the wrong direction. This had led to the two going almost in a complete circle around the outside of the village.

Finally after an hour had passed Niou managed to spot Sanako way ahead going away from him. He quickly sped up and caught up to her. Of course this was particularly hard since he also had to dodge chunin most of whom he knew.

After finally being reunited the two finally started on their way towards the center of the village. When they arrived they saw one jonin restrained on the ground with two others being engaged by three Suna-nin. Needless to say they used the Suna-nin's distraction and easily entered the tower.

"From what I know of the layout of the tower, there are only two rooms I could think of that the scrolls are going to be. Either in the basement in the vault which is highly unlikely considering all the confidential information that's inn there, or they're in the former council chambers which is more likely." Niou said as they maneuvered through the hallways.

Sanako kept silent and merely followed her teammate without question. She had never been to the tower much except to receive missions and thus she knew very little of the layout.

As they approached another corner Niou's hand suddenly shot into the air stopping Sanako in her tracks. They both stopped and Niou motioned for his ears. Sure enough, when Sanako listened closely she could very clearly make out the tapping of very light feet against the floor.

As the tapping grew closer Niou silently pulled his sword out of its sheathe. When it sounded like the person was right around the corner he swung around with the blade in a wide arc. As she heard the clang of weapons Sanako jumped out as well with an arrow drawn and ready to kill. However, what she saw made her hesitate.

"What luck that I ran into you Niou." The person said. Niou smirked as he pressed harder against the huge blade that was battling his own. "You didn't run into me Suigetsu-senpai… your clone did." Sanako took that as her cue and released the arrow.

The attack made Suigetsu's clone collapse into a puddle of water. Niou sheathed his sword, but motioned for Sanako to follow as quickly as possible. "We need to move. Suigetsu-senpai's clones are undefeatable. It will reform any minute now so we need to move." The two sprinted down the hallway, with the sound of splashing water in the background.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tai and Akane had been walking down the hallways for ages now. They didn't even need to check the rooms because Tai only looked through the walls with her Byakugan. She still seemed to be looking for the scrolls for some reason though. When asked why she hadn't found them yet, Tai responded with 'the tower is bigger than it looked like outside'.

Suddenly Tai stopped walking and her posture tensed. "What's wrong?" Akane immediately asked as she looked around for any possible enemy. "Right ahead…" Tai trailed off, her eyes wide as saucers. "So many…"

Akane was about to ask what she was talking about, but soon got her answer. Out of the shadows ahead there walked a figure. This figure had a huge sword strapped to his back. Following him came his clone, and then another and another until the whole hallway ahead was covered by clones of him.

"Another batch to murder! Man, I need to thank Yamada later for this chance." Suigetsu's clone said as it removed the sword from its back along with all the others. All Akane and Tai could do was prepare for the inevitable fight.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru, after Matsuri left, decided to hang with Shino for now. The two slowly walked down the hallways like they had no bother in the world. "This is such a troublesome situation." Shikamaru muttered as he kept a vigilant eye down the hallways.

He had just wanted to stay a chunin, but no he just had to be sent on a promotion attempt. Shino didn't say anything at all which was good and all because Shikamaru liked the silence, but he actually sometimes missed Ino's rambling.

As they walked down the halls they eventually arrived at a staircase. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when Shino started walking up the stairs. "Do you know where we are going?" He felt the need to ask. "Yes. Why? Because my Kikaichū have been searching the building since I arrived here." Shino responded.

Shikamaru looked at him for a moment longer, then shrugged, and continued following him.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

The two girls and the younger boy launched their techniques at the same time at the two jonin. "Suiton: Suijinchū!" One of the jonin exclaimed creating a dense torrent of water in a circular barricade. This technique even stopped the fire enhanced attack which was the strongest the two could come up with.

However, while that happened the other jonin flanked around the side and threw a barrage of kunai. The three had not been expecting it taking the sharp objects straight on.

Keizo managed to deflect some of them, but still got hit in the arm. Matsuri rolled to the side and managed to dodge all but one. Yukata was the less fortunate however. One was imbedded in her chest, one in her right leg, one in her right shoulder and one just scraped off of her forehead protector which seemed to have saved her life.

"We're being dominated here!" Matsuri shouted in slight panic. Keizo cursed under his breath as he took in the situation. Yukata would not be able to continue fighting and he was hurt himself as well. On the other hand they had only managed to take down one of the enemy and only because Matsuri had surprised him.

No they were not in a good position. The jonin from kiri seemed to notice this as well as they kept pushing their attack. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" The water container on one of the nearby roofs popped open and the water dragon started rising from within.

"Matsuri, we need to do something now!" Keizo shouted as he stared up at the huge dragon. The two seemed to be working together to make the dragon that much more massive than usual.

Matsuri didn't hear him though which triggered him to turn his head. Matsuri was on the ground tending to her bleeding out teammate. Keizo ran up to her and grabbed her shoulder hard. "Matsuri we have to move or we'll be crushed!" He shouted.

"But I can't leave her!" The older girl shouted in return. Keizo grit his teeth in irritation. Yukata was unconscious and they would not be able to move away in time.

"If you want to live then you'll come with me. If you want to try to save her then stay and die." Without waiting for an answer Keizo ran off. Moments later the roaring of the water crashing down behind him could be heard. As Keizo got a safe distance away he dared to look back.

Matsuri hadn't followed. She had made her choice and payed the price for it. Keizo hung his head for a moment as he let the loss sink inn. He wasn't close with the two, far from it actually. His team had just met team Matsuri when they were told to go to the jonin exams. However, it was still a loss of two promising kunoichi.

He didn't get a lot of time to grieve however as soon the two jonin returned with grins on their faces. "So one of you three escaped." The one on the left said. "That's fine. Just means more fun." He added.

Keizo looked from one to the other, completely lost on what to do. Now he was outnumbered against the people he had struggled with when he had teammates.

This wasn't good… not at all.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Chance Green G King

I really don't see how Japanese names can be irritating. I always thought it helped with immersion. I mean if I started to use names like Frank and Joe or something like that it just wouldn't sound right if you ask me.

Other than that I've been good thank you. Been writing and finishing up school, but other than that nothing special going on. I'll be sure to check out your fanfic.

Immatx

You really should check it out! I personally can't get enough of it. I think I have about five hundred hours played on steam. I can give you the basics of it. You're basically leading a squad of humans to fend off an alien invasion. At the same time you will have to manage your base and the funds you receive.

Guest

Wait… how does one spill a hamster? But anyways, Jesus, how is your computer still working?

 **AN:** So I've got some bad news for those of you who wanted a bleach fanfic. It's probably not going to happen. I do want to write a fic about it, yes, but I've grown tired of it to be honest. The series is just so god dam repetitive. Ichigo gets beaten, he trains, learns a lesson and then beats the one that beat him and then it repeats. I do not hate on the anime, it is really good actually, but it's not something for me. Sorry again.

So a lot of people died in this chapter. I just want to inform you that none of them had any sort of important role in my head and some of them I just plainly dislike. Sorry if I killed off a character you like, but this is my story and I can do what I want. :P


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Summon or demon speaking"

'Summon or demon thinking'

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada watched carefully as Samui looked away from the screen. He saw her hand tightening into a fist and her eyes shut. Kurenai had been having a similar reaction before she had excused herself to the only other room they currently had access to.

Kurenai had this reaction when she saw her first pupil die. When the second one hit the dust she didn't seem to be able to manage her emotions and left the room. One of the guards in the room had been sent to keep an eye on her in case she turned unstable. It seemed Samui was in that first stage and Yamada had to wonder if one of these two women would lose it.

Kakashi looked at Samui from the corner of his eye before he looked back at Yamada. "Isn't this exam a bit… brutal Mizukage-sama?" He asked, motioning to the gory scene on the screen in front of them.

"It is, but that's life. A shinobi needs to be prepared for anything that can come their way something these ones where not." Yamada said as his eyes turned to Kakashi. "You of all people should know this. You're the one who taught it to me after all." He added with a grin.

Kakashi nodded in acceptance of these words as all eyes turned to the screen. Personally Kakashi didn't have any pupils within the exams considering two of them were living on a remote island and the third one was the Mizukage. However, that did not mean that he didn't feel sadness and sympathy for those who did lose their pupils.

Kurenai's and formerly Asuma's pupils had been comrades and seeing them go was hard. He may not have known Omoi, but he was an ally once. Most of all he was glad Temari had decided not to come however. How she would react to so many of her own die would not be a good experience.

Akatsuchi was watching with great interest whenever a screen showed Akane and Tai. The two where the only ones from their teams that came directly from the village and not from wherever the zombie-like ones the Tsuchikage found came from. The two seemed to be managing pretty well and he was glad. He considered them both good and loyal.

Yamada felt a surge of pride when he watched Niou and Sanako. He had briefly assisted in training both of them and had personally taught them both a few tricks. It was truly remarkable how good the two worked together despite being hastily put together as a team.

Things where so far looking up for the two kiri-nin. However, Yamada was wondering if they could keep their distance from Suigetsu's clones until they arrived at the right room or not.

"I've been wondering something Mizukage-sama." Yamada looked away from the screen where Niou and Sanako where running to Samui. "Yes Samui-san?"

"How come one of the swordsmen of the mist is guarding the tower? Isn't he way out of even a jonin's league?" Yamada understood where this was going. She was implying that the exam was unfairly made.

"True, he is way above their level… that is if he had been fighting at full power." He responded. "Are you saying he's holding back?" Kakashi questioned. "He doesn't have a choice in the matter." When several questioning looks where sent his way, Yamada decided to elaborate.

"When creating that many clones his chakra is separated into several smaller pieces. Each clone has just about what a low jonin or high chunin would have. In other words this is entirely possible for those who actually deserve to be jonin." This statement earned him a glare from Samui, but it was the harsh truth.

"And what about the jonin outside?" Akatsuchi asked. "They have restricting seals places on themselves." Yamada simply responded. When more questioning looks were sent his way Yamada sighed. The questions where not going to stop where they?

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Akio breathed heavily as he Yuji and Karui desperately tried to fight their way out of the horde of Suigetsu clones. At the same time they were having extra problems with Karui who several times almost got killed for getting lost in grief.

To easily summaries, they weren't doing to good and it only seemed to be getting worse. As Akio was once again almost cut in half by a huge sword he backed up into a door. Looking behind himself he could see that they had fought their way to the end of the hallway.

Taking a split second decision he grabbed both Karui and Yuji and dashed through the door he previously had his back too. Yuji yelped in protest, but it died in his throat when he saw the stairs. Not wasting a second they started immediately dashing down to the floor beneath and dashed through the hallway.

When they were sure they had escaped they stopped to catch their breath. "That must have been the worst situation we've ever gotten into. Yuji said as he leaned back against the wall. "You said it little bro." Akio responded with a chuckle.

Both of them turned their attention to Karui a moment later, both of them concerned for her condition. She too was leaning against the wall and looking up at the roof with a sad look in her eyes.

"Karui… are you alright to continue the exam?" Akio asked carefully. Karui first now seemed to remember that they were there because she dried away a single tear and nodded her head. "Yeah, I can do it." She responded with a faint smile.

The three shared a small smile before they continued down the hall. Luckily enough, they only walked down one more hallway until they came into a huge open room. Inside the room there were several pedestals with a separate scroll on top of each one.

"I guess this is the place." Akio muttered. "Both of you go and find your scroll and then we'll meet at the door." He said. However, just as they were about to step into the room a sound from down the hallway caught their attention.

At first they saw nothing. Then out of the dark hallway were two people. One of them seemed to be shooting the other way while the other kept a look out front. Only when they came closer did the Kumo-nin see that it was the two from kiri. Unfortunately that also meant they started to see what was following the two.

A huge army of Suigetsu clones where on their back and Sanako was using her bow to take out as many as possible. "I think we need to hurry." Yuji and Karui merely nodded their heads before all three sprinted into the room.

It didn't take long before the other two chunin also sprinted into the room looking for their scrolls. All five immediately scanned the room and found the ones that had been described to them. Unfortunately they were not able to find it quick enough as the Suigetsu clones filled the opening of the room.

"Well, would you look at this… you guys seem to be in quite a pickle." One of the clones said before he turned to Niou. "I thought you knew better than to be in a closed in space with me Niou." He added mockingly. Niou returned that mocking with a smirk.

"Who said I didn't have a plan?" Suigetsu cocked an eyebrow, but the grin on his face did not leave. "And what is this plan of yours?" Before he could hear the answer he heard the click of the grate being lifted off the air went in the room.

When he looked at whom it was he saw Sanako as she dropped it to the floor before crawling inside. "That was my plan!" Niou said before he quickly followed her. Some of the clones tried to go after them, but weren't able to fit their swords.

The Kumo-nin seemed to take advantage of the distraction as they all started swinging their weapons in an attempt at making a way out of the room. Luckily for them Suigetsu's clones had too little time to react which made it somewhat easy for them to fight their way out.

Somewhere along halfway out of the room the clones seemed to understand what was going on and started fighting back. However, they seemed to have crowded the room too much because it was too tight for them to pull out their swords. Needless to say that when they finally managed it the Kumo-nin where halfway down the hallway already.

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Rui carefully made her way down the hallway, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. So far she had managed to avoid detection which was good. She didn't know how long she could keep it up, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She found the hallways to be slightly eerie. There was a silence to them that simply wasn't natural. She didn't know if it was made that way on purpose for the test or if that was simply how it was in the tower. Either way she didn't like it.

She had looked through two floors already and even if she was undetected she was starting to get annoyed with how big the tower seemed in comparison to how it looked. However, she would keep on going… for Eichiro.

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As they rounded another corner Tai did a quick look around the area. They were getting closer which was good. Not long after they started being chased did she spot the room with the scrolls.

They kept up the speed as they quickly sprinted up the stairs to the right floor. Only a couple of corners more and they would be in the right place. However, just before they rounded the last corner Tai grabbed Akane's hand and made them both stop.

"There are more clones in the room… but they seem to be leaving." The purple-haired woman said. "Well we can't stop for long. The other ones are right on our heels!" Akane said as she looked behind them. She couldn't see them, but she could hear them coming up the stairs behind them.

"We just need one more moment." Tai said as all her focus was kept on the enemy in front of them. They waited for a while longer and Akane was getting very worried about their pursuers. "Tai…" She muttered as she worriedly glanced behind.

"Now!" Tai whispered back as they sprinted around the corner. "When we get into the room we grab our scrolls and you follow my lead. Don't ask questions." The last part was quickly added when she saw Akane opening her mouth.

They sprinted into the room and Akane now understood why Tai sounded urgent. Some of the clones had stayed behind to keep guard of the room it seemed.

They both quickly grabbed their scrolls and when they got back to each other the clones had pulled their swords. "We can't let you leave you know." The one on the left said.

Instead of answering Tai grabbed Akane's hand and dragged her towards the wall. The two stopped right in front of it just as their pursuers arrived at the door. Tai quickly motioned for the open air duct above them.

Taking the hint Akane jumped up and started crawling inside. Before Tai followed she was forced to fend off a couple of clones. Two swords clashed down at where she was standing and she was forced to move out of the way.

"Come on Tai!" Akane shouted from the air duct. Tai looked around and noticed that even more clones were getting in between her and the duct. Cursing her luck, the purple haired woman sprinted towards the opening of the room.

"Get out of her Akane! I'll meet up with you later!" She shouted over her shoulder before she disappeared down the hallway. Akane cursed as well, but did as the other woman said and left the room. She could only hope that Tai would be alright.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"There are five guards still in there… how troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he and Sino approached the right room. "Still, I should be able to hold them all back till we get our scrolls." He added as they rounded the corner into the final hallway.

Moments later his shadow stretched out, around the corner into the room and attaching to the five guards. Then, without as much as thinking it over, Shikamaru walked the last short distance to the room. A string of curses could be heard with each step the Nara took.

As they entered the room the Nara felt he had to crack a lazy smile. All of the clones had piled up in one corner and where now standing more or less inside each other. "Well, it seems this will be easier than I thought." He said.

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Keizo honestly never thought he would be able to get away from the two jonin in front of him. Only a miracle would help him escape and he knew it. So when the ground suddenly started shaking he wondered if his prayers had been heard.

Then, only a few moments after the shaking had started, a huge human formed as a wheel came rolling down the streets. The two jonin did not get a chance to react before he rolled over them. Keizo stared right ahead, and then blinked once, then twice.

Moments later the human wheel crashed into the Mizukage's tower with a loud bang. That snapped Keizo out of it as he quickly thanked the heavens for this blessing before he ran towards the entrance of the tower.

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Rui was finally on the right track. After a long time of searching she seemed to be nearing the end of the tower's long and annoying hallways. She was now on one of the top floors, so with other words the scroll had to be in her sight soon.

However, as she ran past one particular room she came upon a peculiar sight. Five Suigetsu clones meshed up against the wall. Their shadows where connected to the lazy Konoha-nin she had seen earlier in the exam while another Konoha-nin quietly stood there waiting.

When he heard her enter Shikamaru turned to look for who it was. He stared at her for a moment before simply shrugging his shoulders and turning back to his scroll.

Carefully Rui walked into the room towards her scroll. She kept an eye on both the five guards and the Konoha-nin who both seemed totally cool with her presence there. She briefly took her eyes off them to make sure she had the right scroll.

She then snatched it and sprinted towards the exit. Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at her retreating form. "Are you ready Shino?" He asked after a moment. The Aburame nodded his head quietly and the two made their exit.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Niou and Sanako busted through the air duct and down into the streets behind the Mizukage-tower. "How did you know that led there?" Sanako asked as they quickly started making their way back to where they started.

"When I was younger I used that to break into the Mizukage tower once. That's actually how I met Suigetsu-senpai." He responded much to her amazement. That would explain why he had started his training so early. Not many could break into the Mizukage's tower without being noticed after all.

However, she didn't press it further with questions about why he did it. From what she could tell he obviously didn't want to talk about it. Instead she focused on getting back to where she started.

Not long after that short exchange the two split up to go to their separate points.

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The Kumo group once again where out of breath as they finally made their way to the roof again. Without even saying a quick goodbye they all split up in different directions, afraid that their pursuers where still on their tails.

It didn't take them long to realize that they were safe however. So after a moment of catching their breaths the three made their way back towards their points of origin.

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Suigetsu's clones where almost pissed at this point. So many had escaped or tricked them that it was infuriating. There were only a few scrolls left, however, and he figured that if no one had gotten them at this point then they were probably dead.

That was also why Keizo found the room empty when he arrived, much to his relief considering what he had been through. He quickly snatched his own scroll and started making his way out.

As he made his way he couldn't help but to think of how Rui was doing. Had she gotten her scroll? Had she gotten out alive? There was only one way for him to find out though. With that in mind he sped up his escape, eager to see if she would be there at the end of the exam.

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As Shikamaru and Shino exited the tower they came upon the curious sight of Choji laying head first against the wall and two very unconscious jonin not far from him. Shikamaru smirked lazily and walked over to his longtime friend.

"Time to get up Choji. You have an exam to finish." Shikamaru said as he gently shook his friend. Choji slowly awoke and smiled a friendly smile when he saw his best friend.

"Hi there Shikamaru, have you finished already?" He asked as he got to his feet. "Yeah, in fact I finished for both of us." The Nara said as he threw a second scroll at his big boned friend.

Choji looked at the scroll in surprise before looking back up at his friend. "But how? We weren't allowed to take other people's scrolls." He said. "It's troublesome, but I made one of the guards pick up the scroll. Nothing happened though which leads me to believe they were just bluffing about the entire 'surprise' you would get if you took more than your own scroll." The Nara explained.

Choji nodded in understanding. "Thank you Shikamaru." He said honestly. "Don't mention it." The Nara waved off. "Let's just get this troublesome exam over with."

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Tai was panicked. It wasn't very hard to understand considering most of the clones in the tower were after her. She was headed towards the front door, but she could also feel how tired she was.

She knew they were gaining on her no matter how much she tried. However, she could just see the opening of the front doors ahead and she knew she had to make it. As the doors drew closer so too did her attackers.

She wouldn't make it. She could feel them right on her heels. They would catch up to her and probably kill her. She would never be able to see Akane again.

' _Well… if I'm going down, then I'm going down fighting.'_ She thought with determination. Immediately her Byakugan activated as she spun around on the spot. The first clone was just about to swing his sword at her and at the same time Tai shot her fist forward.

However, just as the weapon was about to connect with her fist, a thick wall of earth rose in between them. Her fist alone made a huge crack in the wall, but the sword made the crack open. She managed to spot a face peering at her through the earth before she heard a voice behind her.

"Come on, that won't hold them forever." She spun around and came face to face with the one person she had thought she would never see again.

Akane was kneeling on the floor with both her hands against the cold stone and was breathing heavily. "I didn't expect you to come back for me." Tai said after a short silence.

"Of course I would, now come on!" Nodding, Tai quickly followed the other woman out of the tower.

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After a few hours all of the exam participants had made it back to where they started and were immediately transported back to their hotels to get treated. Yamada once again opened the inner circle as well as removed the seals on the tower, allowing the others who were watching to leave.

"So about twelve left… that fits perfectly. That will be six matches, and then three and then the three who made it all the way will fight in a three-way battle." Yamada concluded.

At the moment his council was gathered to discuss what would happen onwards. "Are there any disagreements with this?" He asked to which no one said anything. "Good, I will personally go and inform the participants of the decision then." He added.

"Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?" He asked. "Yes, there are a few clans that have expressed their… displeasure when they were confined to their compounds during the third stage of the exam." Mei responded.

Yamada raised an eyebrow. "Go on…" He said while paying rapt attention. "Apparently they believe that it was a reckless decision to use the village itself for the third part as it risked damage to their compounds."

"Well they don't really have a say in it. After all, the Mizukage is the supreme power in the village. Their opinion is meaningless." Yumi responded. "For now that is true, but if they gather support among the people then it may become a problem." Haku said.

"Well, then what do we do?" The blonde fired back. "Send them an invitation into my office tomorrow." Yamada spoke up getting everyone's attention. "I'll take care of it."

"May I ask what you mean with 'take care of it'?" Mei asked with a raised eyebrow. "You may not Godaime-dono." Yamada fired back clearly telling her to back off. Mei hesitated, but did so regardless.

"So, is there anything else?" He asked again. "Yes, the outer ring is getting more persistent on getting one of their own in on the internal affairs. They want a civilian representative to live within the inner circle and participate in these meetings." Chōjūrō said.

Yamada sighed in frustration. The idiots had been pushing more and more for a civilian within the shinobi affairs and it was getting on his nerves. He did know, however, that he had to appease them somehow or they would lose their faith in him and his leadership.

"Fine, you tell them that they will send in a list of suitable candidates, but I will be the one choosing who the representative is going to be." He said to which Chōjūrō nodded. It was a nice way for him to pick someone that could be easily manipulated to his will which meant he could make this person tell the civilians what he wanted them to hear.

"So if that's all then I believe I need to pick up a little girl at the academy." With that the meeting adjourned and everyone went their separate ways. "Kami… why did I accept this job again?" Yamada asked Tenten as they walked towards the academy.

Tenten hummed as she adapted a mock thinking pose. "Maybe because you look sexier when you're in charge?" She asked with a smirk. Yamada chuckled softly before he gave her a quick kiss.

"Are you saying I wasn't sexy enough already?" He asked playfully. "I'm saying that bossing people around fits you…" She stepped closer. "Very well…" She whispered seductively before she continued walking.

Yamada gained a playful smirk on his face as he quickly followed after her. They ended up in a game of who could make the other one more flustered before they reached the academy. Needless to say, they quickly entered their room when they arrived at the compound.

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Akane winced as Tai tightly wrapped her shoulder in bandages. She wasn't surprised when the purple-haired woman had chased the medic out of the room when she tried to do it. Tai had always been very protective of her, not that it bothered her.

In fact Akane enjoyed the overprotective side of Tai. It was what drew her towards the older woman in the first place. At the same time she was also so gentle when handling someone she cared for. It was like her fingers where feathers that danced across Akane's skin.

As she finished the wrappings Tai got up to wash her hands of the blood that had leaked from the wound under the wrapping. As she stood in front of the sink she felt arms wrap around herself from behind. "Thank you for saving me earlier. That Konoha-nin would have done something hadn't you interfered." Akane muttered against her back.

There was a very apparent height difference between them. While Tai was 163 cm, Akane was only 158 cm tall. It didn't bother Tai as much as it bothered Akane because she had always been taller than most.

As she finished washing her hands Tai spun around in the younger woman's arms. "You saved me as well. If anything we're square." She whispered back. She then snaked her own arms around Akane's waist.

The grey haired girl sighed in contentment as her arms tightened around Tai's neck and she wrapped her legs around her waist. Tai looked deep into her eyes and Akane looked into hers.

Akane always found Tai's eyes enchanting. Even if they weren't her original eyes they still looked so beautiful. Even if they were completely white she still thought they had a hint of lilac in them.

She was so lost in the older woman's eyes that she didn't realize before it happened that they had been inching closer to each other. Their lips met in a tender kiss. Akane wanted to deepen it, but Tai pulled back.

"I could have lost you. Hadn't I arrived…" The purple-haired woman looked down. "I could have lost you as well." Akane responded softly. Tai lifted her gaze to Akane's once again. "Can you promise me something?"

"Anything…" Akane responded as she started planting kisses down the purple-haired woman's neck. "Promise… promises me you'll never leave me." She said followed by a gasp as Akane nibbled at a certain spot on her throat.

She lifted her head from what she was doing and looked into Tai's eyes once again. "Only if you can promise me the same." Tai's answer was to attack Akane's mouth with her own. As she did she slowly walked forward until the front of her feet hit the bed.

As the two fell in a heap on the huge bed they both knew they were inn for a passionate night.

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Shikamaru didn't know what to think. Ino had been killed in the last round. It seemed he had a right in being worried for her. However, what was the point of being worried if he didn't act on it?

This thought made him light a cigarette. It had to be the fifth one only that night. He found that the smoking helped him fight the sorrow that was sneaking up on him.

Only a few minutes after he heard of Ino's demise he found out about Sakura and Kiba. It was no secret that the whole graduation class had been tightly knitted together at one point. Now however, everything was so wrong.

Naruto and Hinata weren't even shinobi anymore and had moved to a remote island to live alone. Three of them were dead, one was the fricking Mizukage and the rest tried to keep close to each other as much as they could.

And then he couldn't forget about team Gai. One of them where dead, another in kiri instead of Konoha and luckily the third one was as crazy as ever. That was a reassuring fact at least.

Still, with everything that was going on, and the fact that people were dying, Shikamaru didn't know how long he could keep up.

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"Kurenai still hasn't come out of her room?" Yamato asked as he entered the hotel. Kakashi shook his head and tried his best to keep up his lazy persona. However, not even he could hide his concern for the Genjutsu mistress.

She and Samui from Kumo had been the first ones out the door when they were allowed to leave. That fact didn't surprise the other two at all. Neither had it surprised them that she had locked herself within the confines of her own room.

It was natural to grieve a lost one. From what it looked like she must have grown fairly close to her team, which often happened when jonin took on fresh genin. Kakashi had hoped that she would be ok, after a few hours, but that didn't seem to happen.

Yamato was thinking along much different lines as he sat down. He still had no answer of why Yamada acted so differently. He had tried to bring it up during the day, but every time he was either shut down or not answered.

In all honestly Yamato knew he was supposed to be concerned about Kurenai, but the fact of the matter was that he wasn't. He had never known her like Kakashi had and had thus never developed the bond of friendship the two had.

However, what he was worried about was his surrogate brother's coldness. That was why, instead of sitting there thinking about it all night, he decided he wanted answers.

Standing up, he told Kakashi he would be out for a while. He then walked out the doors. He was aware of the shinobi trailing him the moment he left the hotel, but at that moment he didn't really care. They were just there to make sure he didn't cause any trouble.

As he made his way towards the clan district he could only hope that Yamada would actually talk to him this time.

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Reviews

Chance Green G King

Something crazy will definitively go on later, you're right on that one.

Redvsbluedays1214

It makes me happy you think it's underrated. Not often I get such a motivating comment like this one. Thank you!

Cathyscloud9

Hey, long time no see! It's been a while since I heard from you. Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

 **AN:** So it has been brought to my attention that I'm writing very little about the main characters and there is a reason for that. Yamada, Tenten and all the others have had two books of developing character. These new ones have not however and pressing that into one or two chapters is almost impossible. That's why I'm focusing so much on the new characters. I am also enjoying writing these characters because they're the first ones in a long time I've created myself.  
Don't worry though, Yamada and the gang will enter main focus again later on.

This week's question is completely unrelated to everything because I couldn't think of anything better. Do you pay attention to football or soccer, and if you do what do you think of the European cup finale?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Summon or demon speaking"

'Summon or demon thinking'

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

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One would think Temari would at least feel depressed by the fact that most of the chunin she went with had all faced their death, that she would actually care for the remaining ones. However, if you did think that then you were wrong.

When she walked into the hotel common room and only saw two left sitting there she just shrugged it off and walked off again. If it was the alcohol or not she didn't care. She just wanted the day of memories to be done. Perhaps when she woke she would actually feel bad for their deaths. However at that moment she just wanted to sleep.

She hadn't been allowed to leave the bar once the exam had started, not that she minded. She welcomed drowning in her own misery and the alcohol was helping.

As she walked through the doors of her room, she stopped and looked back at the two, depressed, teenagers. The moment lasted only a minute before she grabbed the door and slammed it shut.

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Karui walked out of the elevator as quietly as possible. After the exam Akio and Yuji had tried getting her mind off of Omoi by taking her out to have fun. While it did work somewhat, her mind always wandered back to the corpse of her teammates.

The two in question walked out not far behind her, both of them with looks of worry on their faces. While they had been out, the two had seen a new side of the redhead. Never before had they seen her so vulnerable, so timid as they had today. Normally when they did something stupid she would either hit them or yell at them, but tonight she had merely not bothered to care it seemed. She had never actually laughed at one of Akio's jokes. She didn't do it this time either, because Akio didn't qualify the pitiful sound he heard as a laugh.

So needless to say the two were extremely worried at this point.

A door further into the floor opened and Samui poked her head out. She quickly opened the door fully and made her way out into the main room when she saw the three had arrived. She battled with herself to keep her stoic look on her face, but she knew that when she did what she was about to do it would fall off her face.

She walked up to Karui and before the girl could say a word she quickly wrapped her arms around her. Akio and Yuji looked at each other and silently agreed on withdrawing from the room. The two quietly stepped towards their own rooms and closed the door.

Karui on her part had been looking at her mentor with wide eyes. She had never seen the woman show affection by physical contact. However, despite the foreign feeling of it, Karui felt the comfort she had wanted ever since Omoi's death.

Slowly she wrapped her own arms around the older woman as she felt the tears build up. "Just let it out Karui… just let it all out…" The redhead didn't know what caused it. If it was the comforting words or the shaking in the other woman's voice, but as soon as Samui said it, Karui broke down.

Her arms tightened around Samui as the first sob ran through her body. At the second sob she buried her face in her teacher's shirt. Samui held the girl as she cried away all her grief and at the same time she allowed her own tears to fall.

Together the two mourned the loss of their beloved teammate.

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Yamada's eyes opened with a hardened look to them. _'Who the fuck is stupid enough to break into my compound? In the middle of the night as well!'_ He thought as he quickly got dressed.

The whole compound was warded with a seal of Yamada's own design. The seal had his chakra constantly flowing through it which linked it directly to his network. Whenever someone passed through the seal he would feel a small tug on his chakra. So in other words, someone were breaking inn and he was not happy about it.

Yamato was having a difficult time finding out which house actually belonged to Yamada when he felt something wrapping around himself. It didn't take him long to register the thick branches as they completely encircled him. Looking up a figure landed on the rooftop in front of him.

"You have exactly five minutes to tell me why you are here and trespassing on a place you shouldn't be. If the answer is not satisfactory then I will personally inform the Hokage of this and demand that you are stripped of your rank." Yamada's words sounded harsh and actually made Yamato flinch.

"I came… I came because…" Yamato was struggling to find the right words for the situation. "Look Yamada what did I do wrong?" For a long moment Yamada stayed silent. He didn't give anything away as his eyes drilled into the older man's head.

"You haven't done anything wrong… well except not telling me your original name, right Tenzō?" He said. "But now you want to know why I'm acting so indifferent towards you, right?" Yamato was slightly baffled by that. Had his intentions been that obvious?

Slowly he nodded his head. "Well I can assure you that you haven't done anything wrong. In fact, I was ecstatic when I found out you were alive." The younger man informed. "Then why are you acting like this now?"

"Because we're potential enemies." The harsh words made Yamato flinch. "I'm the leader of a different village now and we're on the brink of war. If I were to choose to go against Konoha I would rather have no connections than struggle to fight some of you." Yamada explained.

"Out of the bonds I formed in Konoha, the one with you and Kakashi are the strongest which is why I'm acting like this. Now I will give you this one chance, for old times' sake. Leave this compound and that way I'm not forced to contact the Hokage."

Yamato wanted to plead with his former student, but the look in Yamada's eyes said it all. There was no changing his mind. So as he left he also left his head hanging downwards.

Yamada watched him until he was completely out of the compound before he sighed. "I'm sorry… I really am." He muttered silently before he turned and headed back to bed.

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All of the participants were once again told to gather outside the hotels. This time, however, they were told that the Mizukage himself would be addressing them. Because of that the participants where a little bit more nervous than usual. It wasn't every day one could meet the strongest shinobi in the world and live to tell the tale after all.

Yamada had decided on the calm approach that day. He calmly walked into the hotel grounds, his robes swaying with the slight breeze. As he came to a stop the chatter quieted down considerably and all eyes turned to him.

"Well I have to admit I really enjoyed the exams so far. Some of you surprised me…" His eyes briefly flickered in Shikamaru's direction. "Some of you made me proud…" His eyes flickered to the kiri shinobi. "And some of you impressed me. I want to congratulate you all on reaching so far into the competition." He said as his eyes briefly scanned the participants.

"However, not we've reached the final stage. I assume most of you participated in a chunin exam which is why I'll keep this explanation short. You'll be fighting one on one in an arena here in kiri in not too long. Your matches have already been set up, but you won't know who you're fighting until the actual match comes. Instead of a month, you will have one week from today to prepare. Each of you will be given a private training ground to prepare on. Are there any questions?"

"Troublesome… Why only one week?" Yamada looked at the lazy Nara with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that obvious? You're about to be jonin now and things are getting more and more difficult for you. Looking away from the ANBU you will be the highest rank achievable. That's why the time is so short. There is no room for mistakes on this stage."

"Now if that was all then a shinobi will approach to lead you off to your personal training ground. If you feel like someone in the village is willing to help you trains then you're free to ask them. If they agree then you have yourself a trainer. That's all and good luck."

The moment he walked out of the area several jonin came out and escorted the jonin hopefuls to their training grounds. Niou and Sanako refused, saying they had private property in their names that was designated for this kind of thing.

The one who had the training ground closest to the hotels was none other than Karui. The moment she had memorized where the grounds was she sprinted back to the hotel. Back on their floor Samui was calmly sitting and reading a book when Karui busted through the doors.

She looked up startled, but soon had to look down as Karui fell to her knees breathing heavily. "Please teach me sensei!" She said pleadingly. Samui's expression changed back to the indifferent one making Karui worry.

"Then show me to the training grounds." Karui felt a smile growing on her face as she led way for her teacher. When the older woman found out that they only had a week she decided to use what she liked to call 'the week of hell'.

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When Keizo arrived at his training ground he quickly opened a scroll that he had been carrying on his person. On the scroll was a fire technique that he had gotten on his last birthday. It had been a gift from both Rui and Eichiro.

As he opened the scroll he couldn't help but to think of his lost comrade. The three had been one of the closest teams in Suna. However, Rui had become distant lately. She barely talked anymore which was worrying. What was worse was the recklessness she showed in the last part of the exam. What if she did something like that again and he wasn't close by?

Shaking his head Keizo refocused on the scroll. _'Eichiro… I'll protect her to the best of my abilities.'_

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Rui arrived at the training grounds and for the first time she didn't know what to do. She had no techniques she wanted to practice and she was always used to guidance when she trained. Doing it alone was a completely new experience for her.

"Ok girlie…" She whipped around when she heard a voice from behind. Temari was walking up into the training ground with a grin on her face. "I guess I'm your sensei for the next week."

"Why? I thought you didn't like me." Rui pointed out. "Yeah well Gaara is probably going to kill me if I don't make sure at least one of you survives. Besides… I like your new mindset." Temari responded.

"Now get up off of the ground. I'm going to teach you how to handle one of these." As she spoke Temari lifted her fan from her back and placed it against the ground with a loud thud. Rui instantly got back to her feet, eager to learn.

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Akane, like Rui, didn't have that much to practice on. Sure her father had been a shinobi, but he had already taught her all that she knew and she didn't know where she could learn more than what knowledge she already had.

Which is why she was very surprised when she saw Akatsuchi walking into the training field. "Out of the two of you I have decided that I can teach you more than I ever could teach Tai-san." He said formally.

Akane was baffled that one of the best shinobi in the village would willingly be training her. "But why would you train me Akatsuchi-sama?" She asked, not sure how else to refer to him.

"Your survival and possible promotion will serve to benefit the village Inukai-san. It was my mission when I left Iwagakure to eventually train one of the participants." He responded.

Akane nodded in understanding. She was a little disappointed that he didn't want to train her by his own free will, but she wasn't about to object to free training from one of the best Doton users Iwa had to offer. Needless to say the training started almost instantly.

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Shikamaru yawned loudly as he lay down on his back within the training grounds. That was what he looked forward to doing the coming week. Nothing except look up at the sky and sleep.

It wasn't like there was anything else for him to learn. His clan had taught him every clan technique they owned and he didn't know any elemental jutsu to practice on. In other words he had nothing to do at all.

However, that was about to change very soon. In a tree not far from the training grounds there was a certain silver haired jonin from Konoha who was reading a book calmly.

Kakashi, Yamato and Kurenai had all decided to train one of the chunin each. Kakashi had picked Shikamaru after Kurenai had instantly picked Shino. That had left Yamato with Choji. They had all decided that it was about time the three learned some nature manipulation since it seemed all of them were dependent on their clan techniques.

So here Kakashi was, calmly reading a book while he kept an eye on the Nara. After about an hour of this though, Kakashi figured he probably had to get started. As he closed his book he threw a scroll far up into the air.

As he calmly walked into the training ground he saw the scroll descend from the heavens. Moments later it landed on the Nara's stomach with a thud and said Nara let out a grunt of slight pain. "There you go. Follow the steps in this scroll." Kakashi said lazily.

"How troublesome…" The Nara muttered, but he picked up the scroll regardless. If Kakashi was there to train him then it was probably something useful. So no matter how troublesome it was, he felt like he didn't have a choice.

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Yuji prepared in a way that most others wouldn't even think about. Instead of staying at the training grounds, he went back to the hotel. There he drew up a profile of every participant and what he knew of each of them. Then he started making tactics on how to defeat each and every one of them.

It was a lengthy process and there were probably other ways to do it. However, after he had done this he would have a way to defeat anyone he could come up against. Of course there was a chance that, even with a tactic, someone could outmaneuver him, but he wasn't too worried about that.

After all, he expected that most of the others were focusing on their own abilities rather than their possible opponents.

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Shino wasn't horribly surprised when he met Kurenai at the training grounds. She did seem worse for wear though.

It was true that Kurenai wasn't in top form. She had cried a larger part of the night away and only gotten some sleep. However when she now awoke she knew that she couldn't let her last student go to waste.

Now, she didn't know much of elemental jutsus herself, but she had managed to borrow some from Kakashi. She knew of Shino's affinities. He had fire and earth, one of which was common in Konoha and the other was common in his clan. She had decided to focus on his earth affinity so that he could better use it and his bugs at the same time.

She could only hope that it would help him survive the final round.

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As Sanako arrived back at her clan compound she wasn't surprised to see her mother waiting for her. What she was surprised to see was the Mizukage's wife waiting as well. "Kaa-chan, Tenten-sama, what is going on?" She asked with a bow.

"Darling I have asked for Tenten-sama's help in training you for the coming week." Sasame responded with a soft smile directed at her daughter. "It has come to my attention that you fight mostly in ranged combat and I want to make sure you at least have some close range experience."

Sanako looked over at Tenten in a moment of doubt. "Not to be disrespectful, but aren't you civilian Tenten-sama?" This prompted Tenten to chuckle. "How about I demonstrate?" When she received a nod in return they all retreated into the clan's private training ground.

As Tenten readied up Sasame ordered her daughter to pay close attention. A training dummy was placed down and Tenten zeroed in on it. Everything happened faster than Sanako's eyes could keep up with.

One moment Tenten was standing on the other side of the field. The next she had sprinted forward and punched the dummy so fast that Sanako had trouble believing it. The dummy's body was obliterated on impact showing just how much force was behind the punch. Tenten then followed up by hitting the head of the dummy with a little less force which dent it flying into the wall of the compound.

The wall cracked as the dummy head hit. "I was trained by Tsunade of the sanin. I may be a little out of shape, but I've still got it." Tenten said with a smile on her face.

Sasame had to hold back a giggle at her daughter's expression. The girl was in complete shock. The woman she had thought to be a nice civilian was actually stronger than she could ever imagine.

As for Tenten, she had never felt better before. It had been a long time since she had last used her strength and it felt marvelous. She did use it when she trained, but that was rare and when she did she had to limit it. So being able to let lose completely was a blessing in her mind.

"So how about we get started?"

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Tai knew exactly what she wanted to focus on. It wasn't a new technique like most others would try. Neither was it doing research on her possible enemies.

What she was going to do was improve her strikes. In the second part of the exam that kiri boy had blocked her strikes with a sword, proving that her strikes were far from powerful enough. Apparently she couldn't punch through metal… well, she was about to change that.

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Niou followed Suigetsu with curiosity. Never before had his master been as secretive as the last fifteen minutes. His suspicions kept growing and only received a boost when the base of the swordsmen came into view.

The base itself had gotten the last five years. It no longer was a building in the open. Now only the front door was above ground. The rest had been built underneath the ground.

Personally Niou had never been inside the base himself. Despite being a member of the swordsmen, he needed one of the legendary swords to gain entry. That's why as they came closer and closer to the door, his excitement grew to new heights.

Suigetsu opened the door and Niou followed behind. Immediately there was a staircase that led down kami knows how far. When they reached the end of the stairs they came upon a panel that had spaces designed for every legendary sword.

Suigetsu placed the Kubikiribōchō into its slot and pushed chakra into it. This caused the door in front of him to open. He could practically feel the excitement rolling off the teen behind him in waves. Even if he tried to conceal it, it was pretty obvious.

Next they came into a chamber where Suigetsu opened a hatch on the wall. "There gaki, now you need to push your chakra into that seal. If you don't then you won't be getting any further inn." He said as he stepped back.

"Why is there so much security Suigetsu-senpai?" Niou asked as he pushed his chakra into the seal. "Ask Yamada, he is the one who designed the place. If you ask me then he was a bit paranoid, but it has worked so far. What you're doing right now is so that the seal that protects the base won't burn you to a crisp the moment you enter."

As he finished Suigetsu closed the hatch and led the teen through the next door. They now came into a giant hallway that seemed to go on for miles. As Suigetsu led the way Niou couldn't help but to ask something.

"Not that I'm not enjoying the tour Suigetsu-senpai, but what are we doing here?" He asked as he looked at the different rooms. All of them seemed to have a different purpose. On one door it said research while on another it said DNA testing which sounded weird to have in the swordsmen's base.

"You'll see when we get there gaki. Now shut up." Suigetsu responded. After a long while they finally reached the end of a hallway. Instead of a door, it opened up into a huge room. Along one wall of the room there was a line of display cases that contained the swords of the swordsmen that had not yet been chosen.

"Can you guess why you're here now?" Niou turned and spotted Yamada along with the two last members of the swordsmen, Haya and Haru. "Mizukage-sama… does this mean…" Yamada nodded.

"Yes, this means you will be going through your ceremony." Yamada responded with a grin. Niou couldn't conceal his excitement even if he wanted to. He was finally going to become an official member of the seven swordsmen, not just a candidate.

"However, I feel I need to warn you. There is a chance that none of the swords will chose you. They may think it's too early for you." That made it a bit less exciting, but Niou still kept his hopes up.

"Now let's start the selecting process. You are to walk along the wall past every sword." Yamada said as he took a step back. "But how will I know if a sword has chosen me?" Niou asked as he turned to the Mizukage.

"Oh trust me, you'll just know." Yamada responded with an encouraging smile. Suigetsu got into line besides Haya and Haru while Yamada stood a few steps in front of them. Yamada opened the display cases with a button as Niou got into position.

Niou took a deep breath and looked down the row of legendary swords. There were seven swords and one set of two. He nodded to himself in confidence. _'One of these is going to be mine.'_ He thought as he started walking.

He walked past one sword, then another and another. As he walked Haya grew more and tenser for some reason. Yamada noticed this and had a pretty good idea of why, but he still wanted to see where this was going.

Niou walked past three more swords. Haya almost took a step forward in protest, but was stopped by Haru's hand. Niou walked past the last single sword… and stopped at the twin blades.

The two blades looked almost normal except the red hilt which was what made them look unique. He approached the swords and slowly reached for the hilts. This time Haya did take a step forward, but one sharp look from Yamada kept her in place.

As he grabbed the swords Niou lifted them both in one swift motion. The moment he did fire started swirling out of the blades, encircling both of his arms up to his shoulders where it shot of behind him. The blades themselves were glowing red throughout the entire happening before the flames and the glow died down.

Niou looked down at the blades in wonder before he looked up at Yamada. "Did I do it right?" He asked with heavy breath for some reason. Yamada's smile broadened as he nodded positively.

"I must admit, I'm surprised the twin swords chose you, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They're two of the oldest and wisest." The kage said. Haya couldn't take it anymore.

"Mizukage-sama, he can't have those swords. They belonged-" She never had the chance to finish. "Yes, they belonged to your parents, but they are no longer here. I am sorry to say this to you Haya, but they're gone and the swords no longer belong to them. They have chosen a new wielder and you have to accept that." Yamada responded calmly.

Haya closed her mouth and gritted her teeth. She whipped around and exited the room with quick angry steps. Once she was outside Yamada sighed and turned to her brother.

"Go and see if you can calm her down will you?" Haru only nodded silently before he ran after his sister. Yamada then turned to Niou who looked slightly taken aback by the exchange.

"Don't worry about her, she'll get over it. In the meantime we'll discuss your training." Yamada said as he walked over. Niou sheathed his swords and Suigetsu stepped up as well. "Unfortunately our witnesses ran off so we can't recognize you as an official member yet, but that doesn't mean we can't start training you to use the swords."

"But the swords seem to enforce a fire nature Mizukage-sama. I only have water nature." Niou pointed out. "While it is true that most swords only enforce a nature affinity, these swords are different. As long as you wield at least one of them, they will award you with fire nature. It's like temporarily having an extra affinity." Yamada explained setting the teen's mind at ease.

"Now, since I'm the only one with dual wielding experience, I think it'll be my job to train you the coming week. If you want I could show you one of my more advanced styles that you can keep training with. I think I have one that fits you perfectly." Niou nodded and bowed.

"Thank you Mizukage-sama." He said earnestly. Yamada nodded and pointed towards the door. "Then how about we get started then?"

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In Konoha things were not going any smoother. The whole village was still down in the dumps and nothing seemed to improve. In fact things had gone downwards since the convoy to kiri left. Without Shikamaru, one of the best minds in the world, their strategies had been worse. Without Kakashi they had started losing more soldiers.

So yeah, moral was at a low and things were getting worse and worse. That was when Tsunade received another message from Kirigakure. It was an invitation that called a temporary truce between the nations so that the kage could watch the final of the exams.

At first she was skeptical, but then she remembered that she didn't really have a choice. They desperately needed kiri's help in the war and abiding to their demands was the best way to get them. So she sent in a response saying she agreed to the truce.

However, something that worried her was the fact that out of the six shinobi she had sent only three had made it through. She didn't know what had happened to the other three seeing that she hadn't heard anything from Kakashi. However, if she had to believe the worst then they were probably dead.

That was what most people were taught when it came to shinobi. If you hadn't heard from them then it was most likely they were dead. If not dead then seriously injured or crippled.

Most of them she had a normal relationship with. They were shinobi and she was the Hokage, but a few of them she had developed actual friendships with despite the age gap. She could only hope to find them all alive when she arrived in kiri in one week though.

At that moment in time she decided to focus on who would be her guards going to the island nation. The message specifically said that, as in most cases involving the five kage, she could only have two guards with her.

One choice she was certain off, but the other she needed some time to think about. One thing was for sure though; she needed to get on the Mizukage's good side no matter the cost.

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Reviews

Immatx

So you play as well? I'll admit I lost my chance at playing it when I was younger and when I wanted to start again I was too old. I really regretted it at the time and still do.

Anyways, it seems we are at a disagreement. You see I was hoping Portugal won. It was their first international win ever so I think they deserved it. Besides, France didn't take their chances and played way too carefully if you ask me, especially after Ronaldo was sent off.

Also, I know that feeling of mixing characters. Often I do that myself as well and sometimes I really frustrate myself. But don't worry too much; I don't have anything against Ino. She was just unimportant to the plot. Had she had a more central role then I could have guaranteed her survival, but as it stands I hope you'll forgive me. :P

Cathyscloud9

Ah, well at least now you won't miss the updates anymore! Again, thanks for reading!

 **AN:** So today further confirmed the fact that I have the memory of a goldfish. Why you ask? Well simply because I couldn't remember stuff I've written a long time ago. I needed some information on a throwback and my mind would just not supply me with it. I had to go back into my files on the earlier books and read through the chapters until I found what I was looking for. A time-consuming and annoying process, but I need it apparently. However, it's also refreshing sometimes. I get reminded of how much I love this AU I have made and how grateful I am for you guys who keep reading it. There are probably not that many that read the AN on my stories because most of the time they're so god dam long, but for those of you who do I want to thank you for reading so far and I hope you stick with me to the end.

I was supposed to have a chapter out on the other story as well, but… you see this game took over my life. What is this game called you ask? Well it's called Pokémon Go of course! I can't get enough of it and I think I'm getting addicted.

Also guys, I'm getting desperate here. I have no fics in my 'to read' list and its driving me insane. I have nothing to do late at night when I can't use the computer because people in the house are sleeping and I've started watching television again something I was addicted to before. Please recommend fics for me to read. I'm begging you!

Anyways, on to the question of the week. Who do you think will be fighting against whom?

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Gaara hadn't honestly thought he would feel sad when he received the news of who had survived. He was surprised that only two had survived out of the six he had sent. However, the reason he felt sad he guessed had to do with Matsuri.

They didn't have a relationship or anything like that despite what the general public thought. However, she had been his first and possibly only student and the first one to go against her fear of the monster within him. He supposed that if he ever was to pursue a relationship she would be a prime choice.

But that didn't seem to be an option anymore. Her whole team had perished and only two were left of the other team he had sent. Gaara had never personally known the second team he had sent. He had only gone out from the reports on their missions and performance in the field. Their work had been exemplary and that was why he had decided on sending them.

However, it seemed that the enemy was out to outdo Suna and Konoha even in the exams. They must have deduced the Mizukage's secret objective of the exam as well. He wasn't really surprised.

However, now he was faced with the option of attending the last part of the exam. This was obviously also another ploy to test if the leaders of the nations would be willing to put their faith in the Mizukage's hands. By going to his village they would be more or less putting their own safety in his hands. Despite the two bodyguards being allowed they couldn't really do anything if Yamada ordered his entire force to attack them within the village. After all, even the greatest of people can be overrun.

So as it came down to it his choice was easy. He knew that Yamada was not one to make rash decisions and at the moment the war was tipping in the enemy's favor. That and Konoha had an ocean of natural resources that any daimyo would foam at the mouth to get their hands on.

No he needed to be there. Not just to support his remaining chunin, but also to appeal for Yamada's aid in the war. It was possibly just a waste of time considering the odds, but he needed to try. He was the Kazekage after all.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Tsuchikage-sama, you called?" Iwa's highest commanding officer asked. The redhead at the desk nodded her head as she got to her feet. "Yes I did, I will be leaving to attend the jonin exam in Kirigakure. I expect you to take care of the village while I'm gone." She said as she walked over to the door.

"You're leaving immediately?" The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Of course I am. Is there a problem?" The challenging way she asked made the man quickly shake his head. "Good, now get back to work." She said.

She then started her long walk towards the front gates. She knew the man also had wanted to ask if she needed any bodyguards, but the honest truth was that she didn't. None of the peasants in that village could ever get strong enough to guard her.

She felt a smirk tugging at her lips when she thought of the coming events. _'Nii-san… your plan is going exactly as you said it would. Soon you will rule this world.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hi there!" The guards in the Raikage tower sprang to panic when they heard the happy voice right in front of them. Right in front of them appeared a blue-haired man who seemed all too happy to be there.

"Who are you intruder?" One of the guards asked. "Oh, don't worry about it. I have permission." He said as he looked both guards into the eyes. Moments later they both fell to the ground unconscious.

Ryouji shrugged casually as he entered the Raikage's office. "Come on you lazy old bum. It's time to get to the exams." He said as he approached the Raikage. Said person was sitting there staring straight ahead with an empty look in his eyes.

"I said come on bonehead." He said again. A's expression didn't change, but he did get up and started following the blue-haired man. Ryouji found him relatively easy to control almost at all times. That was possibly because he was the one to brainwash the guy.

As they exited the village gates Ryouji started to get bored. "You keep walking towards kiri. I'll be doing some stuff. And for the love of god, act like a human being when you meet people, especially the Mizukage." That was all he said before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada had honestly not been expecting to be ambushed on his way home. He had been through a long day of teaching Niou the basics of dual-wielding. He had then headed home when he felt something impact with his back.

He fell to the ground with a grunt as whatever had assaulted him landed on top of him. He then felt the sharp blade of a kunai up against his throat. "Didn't your sensei tell you to never let your guard down?"

Yamada relaxed his tensed up muscles when he recognized the voice that whispered into his ear. "Tenten, how old are you again?" He asked. This earned him a chuckle as his girlfriend got off of his back.

"Just testing your reflexes darling." She responded. "I think you're losing your touch." She added teasingly. "I will have you know that I'm not losing my touch. I mean, at least I still do shinobi stuff." Yamada responded in an equally teasing tone.

Tenten stuck out her tongue at him. "Then prove it. Catch me." Before Yamada even could register those words Tenten took off down the street at full speed. Yamada smirked widely as he took off after her.

Tenten knew he was faster than her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't make it harder for him. She quickly took a sharp left and jumped up onto a roof and quickly followed that up with jumping to another. She then dropped down. She knew Yamada was still keeping up and therefore she had to think fast.

She sprinted around the corner of the house and pulled down something to fall in Yamada's way; she didn't really stop to see what it was, before she kept going towards the Hayato clan compound. Yamada easily breezed through the small obstacle that Tenten had pulled down in his way and was still hot on her heels.

He couldn't help but to laugh loudly at their little chase something that Tenten soon joined him in. He let her stay a little in front of him until the walls of the compound came into view. That was when he decided to speed up.

Tenten knew he was getting closer now. She also knew he had been holding back on purpose. Unfortunately for him, so had she! She started pressing her own speed up to maximum, but unfortunately Yamada was still the faster one.

' _Come on, come on, come on…'_ She repeated this over and over again in her head as the walls grew closer and closer. When she felt that Yamada almost grabbed her, she tried her luck and jumped. She managed enough air so that she landed on top of the wall that surrounded the compound.

A small moment of feeling accomplished disappeared when Yamada slammed into her back, knocking the both of them off the wall and onto the grass on the other side. Yamada maneuvered them so that Tenten landed on top of him while he took the brunt of the damage.

They were already laughing long before they actually hit the ground and when they finally did they didn't stop. Once the laughing had stopped Tenten placed her head in her hand as she stared down at Yamada, a soft smile in place on her face. She then leaned down and captured Yamada's lips in a passionate kiss.

Yamada responded almost immediately and the two got quite caught up in it. They got so caught up that they didn't hear the pitter patter for small feet before Tenten felt a bundle of 20 kg land on her back.

She immediately broke the kiss and strained her neck to see if it was who she thought it was. The amused expression on Yamada's face answered her question though. As she sat up the little girl on her back slid off and instead came to sit between them.

Yamada looked over and saw Yumi standing not far away with a knowing smirk. Yamada sent her a mock glare before he turned to hug his little princess. "How was your day hime?" He asked.

Since both he and Tenten had been busy the entire day, and Kumiko didn't have school that day, they asked Yumi to take care of her. This wasn't something new because Yumi was always the go to person when the two were either busy or wanted some alone time.

"It was great! Yumi-oba-chan told me more stories today!" The girl said excitedly. One of Yumi's favorite things to do with Kumiko was telling her stories of their past. Of course she made it sound very much more heroic and child friendly than it had actually been.

"That's great; I bet it was tons of fun." He responded with a smile. The two parents got back to their feet and both grabbed one hand of their child. They then shared a look before they pulled her up, but they didn't stop as they pulled her high into the air making her squeal.

They carefully lowered the giggling girl before they walked over to Yumi. "Thanks for looking after her today." Yamada said. "It's no problem. It'll probably be my job the rest of the week anyways." Yumi responded.

"That would be helpful yes." Yamada responded with a smile. "Yeah, well I'll always be available to take care of my little Kumiko-chan." Yumi responded with a smile before she turned and started walking towards her own house.

Tenten, Kumiko and Yamada also retreated back into their own house. "Now go and get ready for bed darling. I'll come and tuck you inn later." Yamada whispered before he kissed Kumiko on the forehead. Kumiko nodded and made her way up the stairs.

"So what have you been up to today my dearest Ten-chan?" Tenten gave him a dry look as she plopped down on the couch. "I've been training Sanako-chan for her fight in the final rounds." Tenten replied.

"So you're training Sanako eh?" Yamada asked sounding quite amused. "What's so funny?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's just that I'm training Niou with his swords. I just find it funny that we would both pick one to train." Yamada responded.

"Yeah, well I've bumped into Sasame-san a few times. She actually came to me and requested my help." Tenten explained. Yamada hummed as he retrieved the sake and sat down next to her.

"You know, if you keep this up, you'll turn into the male version of Tsunade." She said dryly. That earned her a dirty look from Yamada as he poured the sake. "It's not my fault that they make this stuff so good." Yamada responded defensively. "Besides, you've been drinking off it too." He added in an accusing tone.

"I have no idea of what you're talking about." Tenten said in a voice that was filled with false innocence. "You know it's not nice to lie Ten-chan." He responded with a glint in his eye.

"And what are you going to do about it?" She challenged. Yamada put the sake down before he turned to her on the couch. "Well, naughty girls need to be taught a lesson." He responded with a smirk.

The mood was then broken when Kumiko shouted from upstairs that she was ready. Yamada sighed before he gave Tenten a quick kiss. "I'll be right back." He said as he started walking towards the stairs.

"I'll be waiting for that punishment." Tenten called after him in a sultry tone. Yamada gave a predatory grin over his shoulder as he disappeared up the stairs. As he neared the door to Kumiko's room, he heard the girl moving around on stuff within.

As he opened the door he saw the brunette sitting on her bed with a book in front of her. "What do you have there hime?" He asked as he walked over.

"This! I found it under the bed!" She responded enthusiastically. Yamada drew in a sharp breath as he saw the title of the book. "You… you said you found it under the bed?" He asked and she nodded.

"It's about people who use chakra, but they use sticks to cast it instead of handseals."

 _Flashback_

" _Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Yamada asked._

" _But this book is so interesting." Misaki replied as she didn't even take her eyes off the page she was reading. "What's it about?" Yamada asked as he took a seat on the edge of the bed._

" _It's about a completely different world than this one. They use something that seems like chakra, but instead of handseals they use these sticks to cast the jutsus!" Misaki explained._

 _Flashback end_

Misaki had adored that book and Yamada had not been able to find it after her death. The memories came rushing back one by one when he finally confirmed that it actually was that book.

"Tou-san… are you ok?" Kumiko asked. Yamada didn't understand what she meant, before he felt the single tear falling from his cheek. He quickly dried it away and smiled down at the brunette.

"It's nothing hime. Tou-san just remembered someone he lost a long time ago." He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Close to? You mean like you and kaa-chan?" The girl asked curiously.

Yamada managed a short laugh. "No not like that. More like me and Yumi. She was like my second sister." He explained. "So she would have been my aunt as well?" Yamada only nodded.

"But enough about that." Yamada said as he placed the book on the table besides the bed. "It's bedtime for you." He added. Kumiko quickly crawled under the covers and Yamada tucked her inn.

"I love you tou-san." Kumiko said. "I love you to hime." Yamada said as he hugged her tight. "Now go to sleep." He said as he stood up. "Do you think you could read that book for me one day?" She asked timidly.

Yamada actually had to think about that. Would he be able to hold his composure enough to do that? "We'll see…" He said with a smile before he closed the door.

He noticed that it was already dark downstairs which indicated that Tenten had already prepared for bed. Yamada walked into their bedroom where Tenten was waiting. The seductive smile on her lips disappeared when she saw the state Yamada was in.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately. Yamada sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his hair and then over his face before he placed them under his chin to lean on. "It's nothing… Kumiko found Misaki's book." He said. Tenten was now sitting beside him.

"It's funny really… I never checked underneath the bed in her old room." He released a humorless chuckle. He had remodeled Misaki's room after her death for Kumiko because he couldn't stand seeing it empty. When someone occupied it, it took his mind off of her death.

The book had only brought back memories he had stored far back in his brain. Tenten brought her arm around him and pulled his head to rest on her shoulder. He didn't release any sobs, but she did feel the tears when they landed on her shoulder.

Needless to say, the evening did not go as she had anticipated it to go.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Early next morning Yumi was there to get Kumiko. After saying their goodbyes the two parents left leaving aunt and niece alone. "Now what do you want to do today Kumiko-chan?" The nineteen-year-old asked.

Kumiko looked hesitant for a moment before she pulled off the backpack she had brought with her. Out of the backpack she pulled the book from last night and held it up to her aunt. "Do you know who owned this oba-chan?" She asked curiously.

Yumi took the book from the smaller girl's hands and looked it over. It did seem familiar, but she couldn't quite put where she had seen it. "Where did you find this?" She asked as she turned the book around to read the backside.

"I found it under my bed in a box. Tou-san said it belonged to someone that was very close to him." That was when Yumi remembered when she had last seen the book. A small smile graced her lips as she looked down at Kumiko.

"I suppose he didn't tell you who it was." It wasn't a question, but Kumiko shook her head anyways. _'Figures… he is still dealing with her loss after all.'_ Yumi thought as she sat down next to the girl. "This book used to the girl who would have been your second aunt." She explained and Kumiko's eyes widened.

"Her name was Misaki and your father ran into her while he was traveling the world. He then adopted her into the family and brought her home." She explained. Kumiko tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What is adopting?" She asked.

"Adopting is when you take someone who doesn't have any family and then you take them into your own family. They then become a part of your family." Kumiko's face lit up with my understanding.

"What happened to her?" Yumi's smile turned sad when that question was asked. "Have you been taught about the fourth world war?" She asked and Kumiko nodded. That was basic knowledge already the first year.

"She died fighting in it. You see Kumiko-chan, a shinobi's life is very dangerous and everyday could be the last." Yumi said. The brunette may be young, but she would be learning this sooner or later none the less. Yumi had in that moment decided that the girl was old enough to know this.

Kumiko herself found those words chilling for some reason. The thought of considering every day her last was hard to comprehend for someone so young and Yumi saw this. She saw the struggle clear as day on the girl's expression and decided to change the subject.

"Would you like to hear some stories of her?" She asked and Kumiko's eyes lit up. "I'll take that as a yes. Ok, there was this one time…"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten brought her fist down again and was pleasantly surprised when, instead of jumping out of the way, Sanako blocked the strike with great effort. They had been going at it for an hour already and the girl was still struggling with the close combat stuff and Tenten couldn't really blame her. For a girl who had been using long range her whole life, Tenten could see where the problem was.

"Ok, we'll take a break now and then we'll try you with a weapon." She said. The orange haired girl didn't even acknowledge her as she walked over and took one of the water bottles her mother had put forth. She eagerly drank half the content and then dried away some sweat.

' _The Mizukage's wife is a fucking slave driver.'_ She thought although she didn't dare say it aloud. The woman seemed to be relying on a method called 'learn or be killed' and it was honestly terrifying. What was worse was that her mother supported the type of learning. On several occasions she had gotten close to being crushed by the woman's enormous strength.

However, something was still bothering her about Tenten and since they were having a break she supposed she could ask. "If you do not mind it Tenten-sama, I would like to ask a question unrelated to training." She said and Tenten looked at her. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She responded with a smile.

"If you were trained by Tsunade of the sanin, do you not come from Konoha then?" She asked and Tenten chuckled. "Yes, I do in fact come from Konoha. It's not a well-kept secret or anything."

"But why change loyalty?" Tenten sat down. "I didn't necessarily change loyalty. It is quite a complicated situation you see. Yamada refused to move from kiri and I had no problems moving here. However, I strongly denied becoming a shinobi again within kiri's forces because my loyalty is still with the village I was born in. The only one within kiri I'm loyal to is Yamada."

Sanako found this as an unnerving form of information. The woman was obviously a strong kunoichi, but she lived in kiri and at the same time was loyal to another village. What if she was a secret informant for Konoha? What if she was only tricking Mizukage-sama to be close to the leadership of the village?

"Are you ready to continue?" Tenten asked and Sanako nodded. She decided that she would bring her suspicions to the Mizukage's attention after training. "Now…" Tenten said catching her attention again. "What weapon would you consider yourself to use in close combat?"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Niou's swords once again went flying out of his hands while Yamada's two found their way to his throat. "I'm beginning to think you're not even trying." Yamada said dryly as he removed the swords.

"My apologies Mizukage-sama. I am used to having one hand free to do with whatever I want. To have both hands occupied by swords is… sort of unnerving." Niou said bowing his head.

"I know the feeling. I was just the same when I first tried dual-wielding, but you'll get over it after a while. Trust me on that." Yamada said with an encouraging smile. Niou nodded his head before he made his way over to pick up the swords.

"How about we try to use the swords' special ability?" Yamada asked and Niou nodded his head. "It's really easy with these ones' really. All you have to do is channel your chakra into the swords."

Niou did as he was told and the flames started slowly at first. Then suddenly they quickly licked their way around his arms before shooting off behind him once again. The sleeves of his outfit were burned off as the flames almost completely engulfed his arms.

"A little less chakra would be amazing!" Yamada shouted over the roar of the flames. Niou lessened the chakra and the flames receded until they only engulfed the blades. "That's better, now to use the swords it's even simpler. You just swing them in a direction and an arc of fire should be shot out. You can use this in several different ways including warding off enemies." Yamada explained.

"If you're stuck in a sword lock you can simply flare your chakra into the swords and the extreme fire will surprise the enemy. Pumping the swords full of chakra like you just did might also work as a great intimidation technique."

Yamada then stepped aside and revealed several targets, some of which were moving. "Now, let's see how accurate you are."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Rui's back slammed against the wall with a huge thud. The girl grit her teeth so she wouldn't cry out in pain despite the immense pain she actually felt. Temari stood not too far away looking very unimpressed.

"This is pitiful. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle a fan as big as mine, but I at least expected you to handle those little ones." She said as she put her fan against the ground. Her words only increased Rui's irritation as the younger girl got up and grabbed the fans again.

With all her might she released the wind chakra from the fans. Temari lifted an eyebrow, still not impressed, as she watched the medium strength wind make its way towards her. The Suna jonin wasn't really as unimpressed as she was letting on.

It was actually quite decent for someone who had just started to learn how to use them. However, the girl only had six days left to learn how to use them efficiently and so she needed to push the younger girl to the brink of breaking.

Temari easily lifted her own fan and swung it violently. The woman's winds easily knocked through the younger girls and once again slammed her into the tree. There was an indent after the many times the girl had hit the tree now.

Not that Temari was using full power or anything. If she did then the tree wouldn't have been standing anymore and the girl wouldn't have been alive either. She used quite literally a minimum of her power.

"Is that all? I guess I'm wasting my time with you after all. How about you come and get me whenever you actually can do it right?" Temari said as she turned and started walking. She knew this would rile Rui up even more.

Rui herself was on her hands and knees. Her hands tightened into fists as she listened to Temari before slowly relaxing. _'Maybe she's right. Maybe fans aren't my thing.'_ She thought to herself.

' _However, if I think that I'll just be proving to her that I am a waste of her time.'_ A voice in the back of her mind added. That was all she needed. With a huge roar she grabbed both her fans and took a few steps forward before releasing a torrent of wind that she had never released before.

Temari just managed to whip around and channel the burst out with her own. The master of futon looked bewildered for a moment before she smirked. "Congratulations, you have my attention again. Make sure it counts for something."

Rui released a breath of relief before she collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The other participants were doing great improvements to their skills as well. Time went by fast when they trained and soon it was time for the first kage to arrive.

Since the villages had different distances between them the kage would be arriving at different times. The one who had made the most progress towards kiri was the Raikage. The man was currently walking through the mist, only two days after the letter was received.

He was welcomed at the gates by the shinobi from Kumo. However despite proper courtesy, the Mizukage was nowhere to be seen.

"Shouldn't you be at the gates and welcoming the Raikage?" Chōjūrō asked as he entered the office. "I should, but who cares? They're the ones that need my help. If they really need it then they will excuse this minor happening."

Chōjūrō could only shake his head before he walked up and dropped a file on the desk. "Here is the report on the genin that will be starting their shinobi lives soon." He said and Yamada nodded. "I'll look over it once I get back."

"Where are you going?" Chōjūrō asked curiously. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. I just meant when the original gets back." Chōjūrō almost had to laugh. "So you're a clone." It wasn't a question.

"Indeed, the original is out training Niou still." The clone responded. This time Chōjūrō did laugh. Of course Yamada would find a way to do paperwork and train someone at the same time.

"So should the Raikage be sent to you or the original?" Clone Yamada looked up. "Just send him here. I don't think he'll see the difference." Chōjūrō nodded before he spoke to the secretary.

Moments after Chōjūrō had left; the Raikage arrived and knocked on the door. He didn't wait for a 'come in' and instead just waltzed inn. "Ah, Raikage-dono, how nice of you to arrive early." He said with a smile.

The man merely let out a grunt as he plopped down in the chair opposite of Yamada. The younger man had to admit that up close the Raikage had intimidation on his side, but other than that he had nothing. After all, Yamada knew everything about the man's techniques.

"So is there anything you would like to discuss before I send you on your way to your hotel?" Clone Yamada was finding it strange that the man had arrived without any bodyguards. Even if the kage didn't need them they still used to take them along so seeing one outside their village without at least one bodyguard was strange indeed.

"Let's cut the crap Mizukage. We both know that Kumo and Iwa are winning the war so far so why are you hesitating to join us?" Yamada's expression turned from the happy expression to a blank mask. "If you're winning the war Raikage-dono, then why do you need my help?"

The Raikage was about to open his mouth, but something changed in his expression and his mouth smacked shut with a snap. "My apologize Mizukage-dono. I did not mean to snap like that." He said in a voice that just shouted something was wrong.

"That's ok Raikage-dono. I will have someone leading you to your hotel where you'll be staying." The Raikage nodded before he stood up and walked towards the door. Once he was outside, Yamada leaned back in his chair with a troubled look on his face.

' _Something isn't right… I'll have to inform the original.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

Fuck yeah! Team instinct for the wind my friend! If you couldn't tell I've also chosen the yellow team. I recently reached level thirteen and I just used my last pokeball. I'm trying my best not to use real money on this app, but it's so tempting!

I'll be checking out the authors you recommended as well although I already keep an eye on darkpedal16. She does indeed have some good stuff. I'm already aware of Dreaming of sunshine and it's really good! I might check out your story as well since you asked so nicely. ;)

As for your predictions, I can say that you didn't really get any one right. The matches are set up completely differently, but thank you for giving your opinion. Don't worry because you didn't butcher the names too badly.

Also, I can understand that there aren't more people reading this story. While I've gotten better with time I think we can all agree that the first chapters of book 1 weren't that good. Most people are probably turned away by that. I appreciate that you hold my fic in such high regards though.

Guest

…. Maybe….

Hakimcoombs

Will check it out! Thanks for the suggestion.

 **AN:** I will be going to Spain on vacation for the next two weeks so you all will have to wait a little extra for the next chapter. It's going to be the last time my family takes a vacation together and I really want to enjoy it. Hope you guys have had an amazing summer so far by the way! I know I have! I'll be back with the next chapter on the 14th of August. So now you guys have something to look forward to.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Another day passed before the next two kage arrived. Not shocking at all, Tsunade and Gaara arrived at the same time. This one time Yamada did not send a clone to his office, but decided to meet them himself.

Niou was out practicing solo by his own request and Yamada welcomed the break. He used this free time to allow his thoughts to wander freely. His thought process immediately wandered back to the conversation he had the night before.

 _Flashback_

 _Yamada was walking back towards his home after a long day of training with Niou. The boy was getting along nicely, but Yamada's thoughts were preoccupied with something else entirely._

 _Halfway through the training his clone arrived at the field. Now, Yamada already thought off the Raikage as a strange and un-trustable man and his clone's words only strengthened his belief in this. This further made him lean towards jonin the leaf and Suna._

 _His thoughts where interrupted when he heard the sound of feet hitting the road ahead of him. Looking up Yamada saw Kakashi walking down the road with his little book lifted up in front of his face. His eyes never left his book; however, Yamada knew the man wasn't just taking an evening walk._

 _Keeping his guard up, Yamada tried to calmly walk past his former teacher. As they crossed each other the two made eye contact from the corners of their eyes. Yamada was instantly on alert and bent backwards as a kunai passed over him._

 _He used his momentum to flip backwards and throw a kunai of his own. Kakashi looked at him impassively as the kunai passed right by his face. A small tear in his mask appeared, but other than that he was unharmed._

" _It seems you've become stronger." The older man said. "Or you've become older." Yamada retorted with an equally impassive face. They remained silent as they stared each other down, neither backing off._

" _Was there a reason for you to come here Kakashi? I doubt you were only taking an evening stroll, especially since my ANBU have somehow not noticed that you left the hotel." Yamada said, breaking the silence._

 _It was true, Kakashi had snuck out. It was also true that he had a reason for being there. The silver haired man sucked inn a deep breath. It was now or never._

" _We both know this is eventually going to end in the fifth shinobi world war Yamada." Yamada's expression remained impassive as he spoke. "And we both know Kiri is essential for either side, regardless of what the kage may say." He took a short break._

" _I don't know what side you're thinking of joining and, honestly, I don't think I want to know." His eye burned into Yamada's own; however, the younger man did not react. He had a feeling he knew where this was going._

" _Of course I won't tell you which side I want you to join, because it should be obvious. I do want to tell you what will happen should you choose the… wrong side." Kakashi sighed. He was about to speak words he never thought he would say._

" _If you should choose to side against Konoha, whatever relationship we had will perish. We will no longer be anything else than enemies. If we meet on the battlefield I will treat you like any other enemy and go for the kill should the possibility arise. You will be nothing more than another shinobi I have to defeat to defend my village."_

 _Yamada smiled sadly as he closed his eyes. "I wouldn't let you treat me any differently Hatake Kakashi." He said in a low tone. Kakashi turned around and was about to leave, but stopped for a second._

" _I do hope that it won't come to that Yamada. I don't think I can handle another loss like that." When Yamada opened his eyes the older male was gone. He stood there for a moment, simply letting the words sink in. He then started walking again._

 _If he knew it or not, Yamada didn't know, but Kakashi had just made Yamada's choice that much harder._

 _Flashback end_

Yamada's thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock at his door. "Mizukage-sama, the Hokage and the Kazekage have arrived." Yamada said to let them inn and a moment later the door was opened.

Tsunade walked inn first dressed in the official robes of the Hokage. Following her was Gai who was strangely quiet. Yamada could honestly say that the taijutsu specialist was unnerving when he was quiet.

Next came Gaara who was also dressed in the official robes. Following him was a woman who was obviously dressed in the Suna jonin uniform. She wore something that resembled what Yamada remembered Baki wearing so half her face was obscured. However, from what Yamada could tell she seemed to have brown hair that barely stuck out from under the turban-like headwear.

The two kage stood side by side in front of his desk while the two bodyguards took up position behind them. Yamada took a moment to take inn their expressions. Gaara looked as neutral as he always did and had changed little over the years. Tsunade's expression was hardened, like she was expecting a slap to the face or something of the like.

Yamada pushed his chair back and stood to his full height which was much higher than both the other kage. "Welcome to Kirigakure no Sato, Hokage-dono, Kazekage-dono. I do hope you both will enjoy your stay." He said with a friendly smile.

"We thank you for your hospitality Mizukage-dono." Tsunade said. Yamada noted that her voice betrayed no emotion which was a pleasant change. The last time he had met her she a very… emotional person. However, he also found it annoying that he no longer could read her as easily.

"Are there any questions before you are led to your hotels?" Yamada asked. He wanted to test them to see if they were willing to show how desperate they were for support in the war.

The two kage exchanged subtle glances for a moment before Gaara spoke up. "There is one matter, but that will be brought up later. For now we are both tired and would like a place to rest." Yamada nodded, silently approving off how they handled the situation.

"Of course, my shinobi will lead you to your hotels immediately." As the two left the room, Yamada sat down in his chair again. Once again his mind was invaded with the current choice at hand.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As they finished up her training session Tenten said her goodbyes and left the compound. Sanako watched her out of the corner of her eye. The moment the older woman rounded the corner the orange-haired woman quietly followed.

She was still suspicious about Tenten inn all honesty. She just felt like something was up with her temporary sensei. She wasn't quite sure if she just was a suspicious person by nature or if there truly was something up, but she was going to find out.

She followed Tenten through the inner circle until she reached the entrance of the outer circle. She immediately was let passed, the guards recognizing her as the Mizukage's lover. Sanako followed suit, keeping her eyes on Tenten as her papers were checked.

She just managed to get through as Tenten disappeared around a corner. Fearing she had lost the older woman, Sanako sprinted to the opening of the street Tenten had disappeared down. When she reached it she had to backpedal and jump behind the wall to avoid detection.

Tenten thought she saw something out of the corner off her eye and turned, but found nothing. Shrugging she turned back and knocked on the door in front of her.

Sanako peeked around the corner just as the door opened and Tenten was let inn. She just managed to catch a glimpse off who was waiting on the other side and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

' _So she is still in contact with Konoha-nin…'_ She thought. Tenten again thought someone was watching her and turned to look back down the street. Sanako instantly ducked behind the wall again, begging to whatever was up there that she hadn't been spotted.

"What is it?" Kurenai asked as she too peaked down the street. "Nothing, I just thought I saw someone." Tenten muttered absently. She then shook her head and followed Kurenai inside.

Once the door shut, Sanako took off back towards the inner circle. _'I need to inform Mizukage-sama of this!'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Gaara and his guard arrived at the hotel not long after they left the Mizukage's tower. Once he stepped inside he noticed that both the surviving shinobi were sitting calmly at two different couches.

Once they noticed his presence they both sprang off the couches and bowed deeply. "It is good to see that you have arrived safely, Kazekage-sama." Keizo said as he looked up at his kage.

"Yes, the journey was very long and I hope the result will be worth it. However, for now I have brought with me someone you might recognize." As he stepped aside, his bodyguard stepped forward with a soft smile on her face.

The two chunin's eyes widened in shock as they stared at their old genin sensei. "Tanak-sensei?" Rui questioned. The brown haired woman nodded as her smile widened. "Yupp, it's me Rui." She said.

A moment later Rui tackled her with a hug. The older woman, while surprised at first, quickly returned it. "Sensei… Eichiro… he…" Rui was struggling with her words and was soon hushed by her sensei.

"It's ok Rui, I know what happened. I'm so sorry." She whispered as she hugged the girl tighter. Seeing that the three needed time alone, the Kazekage retreated back out of the room and instead went to seek out the Hokage.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sanako quickly arrived at the Mizukage's tower. The sun was setting now and she was uncertain if the Mizukage was still in office. However, as she asked the secretary, the woman confirmed that he was indeed still inn.

Moments later she was let inn and saw the kage sitting with his back to the door, looking out over the village. "Mizukage-sama…" She said to get his attention.

The chair spun around and Yamada greeted her with a smile. "What can I do for you Sanako?" He asked. "Mizukage-sama, I... I have reason to believe that… that Tenten-san is betraying you." Yamada's cheerful expression quickly disappeared. In its place a steeled expression appeared as he looked at her face.

She showed no signs of lying which Yamada found worrying. "That is quite a grave accusation Fūma Sanako. Do you have any evidence?" He asked making it obvious he did not like what she was telling him.

"I shadowed her after our training Mizukage-sama. I followed her into the civilian ring where she met up with the genjutsu mistress of Konoha. I also caught a glimpse of green clothing, but I could not recognize the person."

Yamada leaned back in his chair. _'Did Tsunade get away from her ANBU guards? Or was it Gai… he was acting quite suspiciously earlier.'_ Yamada thought as he studied Sanako's facial expression.

The concern and alarm on her face seemed quite real and Yamada didn't like it one bit. _"I told you she was not to be trusted."_ Yamada winced as the voice echoed through his head. He decided to ignore it and focus on Sanako.

"Thank you for bringing this information to be Sanako. I will question her about it and hopefully this was all just a big misunderstanding." Sanako bowed before she left and Yamada turned towards the window once again.

' _Tenten… what are you doing?'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten stared at her former master. The older woman did not show any emotion on her face. Tenten knew the kage was upset with her, but she also thought she had no reason to be.

"Before you say anything, I just want to say that I kept my promise. Through all these years I have never even once picked up the shinobi life after I left Konoha."

"Not even for Yamada?" Tsunade asked. "Yamada understood my reasoning and didn't pressure me." The brown haired woman said. Tsunade acted like a burden had been lifted off of her shoulders as relief flooded her system. It seemed that she hadn't been completely betrayed after all.

"Ok, I checked the surrounding area and I didn't see anyone that could be listening inn." Kurenai said as she re-entered the room. "Good, I suppose we should get down to business then." Tsunade said as she took a seat across from Tenten.

"Tenten, what is the status on Yamada's choice?" Tenten looked down at the table contemplating what she was willing to say. However, this wouldn't do too much damage to reveal.

"He's still stuck at a crossroad as far as I am aware off. I don't think he will decide until after the finals are over." She responded. "I see…" Tsunade muttered as she and Kurenai shared a look. She knew that the next words coming out of her mouth needed to be well formulated.

"Tenten, we need a failsafe solution should Yamada chose to side with our enemy." Tenten quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. She had a feeling she wouldn't like where this was going.

"We need you to take care of it should the worst happen." Tsunade added trying to come up with the words. "I don't get what I'm supposed to do." Tenten said.

"We need you to… if the worst should happen to…" Tsunade trailed off as Tenten seemed to realize what they were saying. "Oh no… no, no, no, no! That is not happening." Tenten said defiantly.

"Tenten we need you to eliminate him should worst come to worst." Tsunade finished. "Like hell I will ever do that!" Tenten almost roared at the other two women.

"You expect me to kill Yamada?! How could you even ask this of me? I love him! Both of you should know how it is to lose the man you love!" Kurenai looked away guiltily, but Tsunade stayed surprisingly strong.

"You claim that you're still loyal to the village? Then prove it." Tenten's glare was now directly on Tsunade. "You want me to choose between my loyalty to the village and my loyalty to Yamada?" Tsunade's expression didn't change, but Tenten got plenty enough of an answer.

"I can't believe this! I can't believe I once trusted you! I am still loyal to the village, but I will not commit murder on your orders! I'm loyal to the village, not you! You have lost all my respect Tsunade!" The last sentence was said with such venom that Tsunade actually flinched.

Tenten stood up and quickly moved for the door. "Tenten please… if you don't agree to this… Konoha might not survive another few weeks!" Tsunade shouted after her, desperation in her voice.

Tenten didn't even look back as she opened the door and slammed it so hard that the entire building shook.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada suddenly dreaded entering his home as the compound came into sight. He felt like he would not enjoy whatever answer Tenten had for him and that what he had learned could possibly drive a wedge between them.

The fact that Tenten hadn't told him of this meeting was trust shattering. And worse was that he didn't know if she had had other meetings with Konoha shinobi before. He usually left her to do what she wanted every day because he trusted her. Now though, he felt like that trust was shattered.

He felt wounded that Tenten was going behind his back and he honestly wasn't sure if he could trust her. However, he wasn't going to draw any conclusions yet. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

Of course he wasn't going to ask her directly. He would see if she would tell him herself. He didn't want to force it out of her.

As he approached the house, he could clearly see the lights on in the living room. Entering the house, he took of his shoes and entered the living room to see that Tenten was not there. He searched the house, but did not find any signs of her.

It wasn't until he checked the backyard that he found her practicing. It didn't seem like normal practice though, because her blows where random and predictable. It was like she was blowing off steam.

Yamada shrugged off the robe from the Mizukage's outfit and walked up behind her. When Tenten heard footsteps she spun around, intent on taking the intruder by surprise. She was surprised when her fist connected with a hand and even more so when she saw it was Yamada.

"Need a sparring partner?" Yamada asked with a grin, pretending that nothing was wrong. Tenten smiled, glad to see him again, but then Tsunade's words entered her mind and her smile disappeared.

"No, I was just finishing up." She said with a stretch. Yamada nodded before he looked out over the half destroyed field. "You seemed quite angry. Did something happen today? I heard your training with Sanako ended earlier than normal." He said.

To the untrained eye Tenten seemed completely calm, but to Yamada, it was obvious that she stiffened slightly. "No nothing out of the ordinary happened. I just bought some groceries and then headed to pick up Kumiko. She's asleep by the way so we should be a little quiet."

Yamada studied her face for a moment and Tenten was getting nervous. It wasn't that she liked keeping secrets from Yamada, but if she told him what had happened and what had been said, Yamada could start the war before the finals even started. Living with him for so long, she knew he was capable of making rushed decisions.

After a moment a different expression flashed across Yamada's face. It was a mix of hurt and sadness, but it quickly disappeared. "I see… well, I'm spent so I'm going to take an early night." Before Tenten could respond Yamada had turned around and was calmly walking towards the house.

Tenten sighed as she watched him walk. _'I hope I didn't screw up royally.'_ She thought. She waited for a little while before she started to follow him. When she reached the bedroom Yamada had already taken his place on the bed.

She quickly prepared herself and went to join him. When she lay down she snaked her arm around his waist. "You know, it's been a while since we last had some fun." She said with a seductive smirk. To further help convincing him her hand started sinking further and further down.

"As much as I would love to, I'm really tired today. I'm sorry." Tenten sighed and retracted her hand. Feeling like she had royally fucked everything up, Tenten turned her back to him and tried to fight down the guilt.

That was the first night in five years that the two were not cuddled together through the night.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next day was the day the Tsuchikage was scheduled to arrive. This meeting Yamada was by far the most curious about mostly because he had never seen the newest Tsuchikage. He had only heard rumors off her and how beautiful her red hair was supposed to be.

' _Wonder if she maybe is a distant relative to the Uzumaki or something.'_ He thought as he calmly went through the most important documents the clone had left for him. _'Ah, the list of candidates for a civilian representative… great…'_ Yamada thought as he sighed.

As he started looking through the names there was a knock at his door. "Come in!" He shouted absentmindedly as he kept studying the document. He heard the door open and close and the sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor board as the person approached.

He finished up by striking out the names he didn't like before he placed the document down and looked up. When he had heard the heels he had instantly thought it was his secretary that had arrived since she was the only one he knew that wore heels.

However, when he looked up he was surprised to see a red haired woman, about the same height as Mei, but not the same shade of red in her hair standing before him. While Mei's hair was auburn colored, this woman reminded him more of what an Uzumaki would look like.

"Can I help you?" He asked curiously. He had never before seen her in the village and thus was curious about who she was. However, for some reason he felt like he had seen her before. He didn't know where to place her, but there was something familiar about her.

"I believe you can Mizukage-dono." Yamada instantly picked up on the title. He then realized who it was that was standing before his desk. "Tsuchikage-dono? Well I must certainly say this is unexpected. Usually prominent arrivals are announced to me before they enter the office." Yamada said as he stood from his chair.

"I know, but I wanted to meet you on a more personal note. Being introduced before I enter the room seems too formal for my tastes." She said with a friendly smile. Yamada returned the smile.

"Well, do you have any questions or do you want to be shown to your hotel Tsuchikage-dono?" He asked. "Please, call me Mayoko." She responded.

"Alright Mayoko-dono, do you want to go to your hotel and rest? I'm sure your journey has been long and tiresome." Yamada said feeling slightly uncomfortable. He didn't mind becoming close to someone, but he didn't want to become friends with a possible enemy.

"Actually there are a few things I want to discuss if that is alright Mizukage-dono." Yamada inwardly sighed. "I'm afraid that will have to wait. As much as I want to, I have important paper work that needs to be done."

"I see, well I'll not hold you up. I know personally how paperwork can take forever. I would like to be led to my hotel." Yamada nodded and motioned for the ANBU to lead her towards the hotel. He saw the look of disappointment on her face, but really couldn't care less.

As the door closed behind her, Yamada refocused on the sheet with the civilian names on them. _'Ok, I will need someone who I can control a little. I don't want a random civilian to know village secrets and such.'_ He thought as he kept looking through the names. Unfortunately every name he found made his frown deepen.

He was almost at the end of the list when he saw a name he found interesting. After reading through the rest of the list he concluded that the one he saw earlier was the best suited for his needs. With his mind made up he called for the secretary.

"Could you please schedule a meeting between me and Terajima Tadashi?"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Soon enough the week came to its end and the finals came into view. Over the rest of the days remaining before the exam, several high standing nobles from kiri and the other great nations arrived. Including in this bunch were surprisingly the fire daimyo and the lightning daimyo that would join the water daimyo in his booth. The two other daimyo sent their sincerest apology for not being there.

Yamada left his home early, not only because he had to, but because he wanted too. Ever since the day Tenten had met with the Konoha shinobi, Yamada had felt distrust growing within him. He wasn't sure if it was the voice in his head or himself that was the reason for it, but the feeling of betrayal didn't ebb away.

However, now was not the time to think of such things. Yamada had to focus on the exams. He and the other kage were the judges who decided whom of the chunin would reach jonin level.

After looking at the battle setup for a long while, he had realized that the exams could take up to two days if the matches lasted longer than anticipated. If that was to happen then he would embrace it by saying that the talents of the participants could not be contained in one single day.

Of course he wasn't going to shorten the competition just because some stuck up noble didn't have time to watch. He remembered the sandaime Hokage doing that, but Yamada was on such good standing with the daimyo that he didn't particularly need to.

However, as he approached the stadium, he knew that the day to choose a side in the war was nearly upon him. The worst part? He still hadn't decided.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Chance Green G King

Well without spoiling too much I can assure you that it's not going to be like the chunin exams in Konoha. I have something completely different planned.  
Also, no I haven't read your story yet. Might sooner or later, but not yet no.

Immatx

My pleasure friend. I always like to alert my readers ahead of time when I'm going away or won't be able to upload. In the exam times it was a little harder to do since I didn't know when the exams would pop up, but since I knew that I would be going away I decided to alert you guys.

Cathyscloud9

No need to thank me! I love writing anyways. Thanks for the review my friend!

A turkey (chapter 1)

Well, it's mostly routine really. Once I got the hang of it, it started to get easy. I could probably even come with even longer chapters if I really put my mind to it, but I won't do that for one simple reason. Some people don't like if chapters are too long. That's why I like to keep them at a nice length between 5k and 9k words.

A turkey (last chapter)

Wow… where to begin? Ok I will address your negatives first.

1: Yamada's attitude can be explained depending on the situation. When in a so called 'Mizukage-mode', he needs to be cold and calculated and seem like he is in control. He will sound crueler to those around him, but he considers it a necessary evil. The other times he was less polite might be explained later in the book. I agree that the conflict within Yamada is a little underdeveloped and I'll hopefully be working on it in the future.

2: Like I said, they had no importance and thus I didn't feel like making a big deal out of their deaths. Besides, their characters didn't have any development in my story and I just felt like it was a waste of words to spend them on non-developed\non-important characters.

3: Is that how it works? It says on the wiki that it is a kekkei genkai and that was what I went for. Sorry if I got that wrong. I blame the wiki!

4: You must remember that, aside from the ANBU, the jonin are the elite of the village. They are required to be much stronger than the rest, at least in Yamada's eyes.

5: Not really a negative, but I'll just leave it inn here. I didn't mean for it to seem like I was just bashing her around and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I guess my extreme dislike of the character got the better of me when I wrote that. Won't happen again in the future! (Glad we have the same opinion on her though ;D)

Now to address your positives:

2: Yup Danzō is still out there and from how I have it planned, he won't be going away for a long time.

3: With Suigetsu I just tried to think of how he would act in that kind of situation. In other words I just thought of how a crazy person with a sword would be. XD

4: Ah… yes, I had that part of the story thought out so far ahead. I remember I was thinking about it long before I finished book 2. The idea sounded so cool in my head that I just couldn't shake it off and it seems to have paid off!

5: I am here to please! XD

6: I hope I didn't offend anyone with this one! I just really found it funny. The moment I thought of that I broke into an uncontrollable laughter which startled my family because the living room had been so quiet. Their faces just made me laugh harder though.

This is indeed a long review and I appreciate that you leave me constructive criticism. I'm not at all frowning at your review, in fact I can see all the points you made, but I have my own reasoning for some of them as you can probably see. I actually enjoyed reading through it, because I want to know about my own mistakes and make them right!

I've already read most of LD's stuff though, but thanks for the suggestion! I appreciate that you'll stick around until the end! Thank you so much for the review my man!

Guest

Is it insensitive of me to ask how you managed to burn off your eyebrow? I do feel sorry for you but I'm just curious.

Guest 2

Gay characters eh? Well who knows, it might happen. Thanks for the suggestion!

Reviews from book 1

Guest

You know there are a lot of stories just like that floating around. I can come up with a few without trying really hard. Anyways, if you're reading an omc story then you should expect changes in the plot. That's why fanfictions were created; so that people could make their own version of the story.

 **AN:** Man, it really is weird getting back into writing after a couple of weeks off. Anyways, I don't think I've ever written so much just to answer reviews! I loved every moment of it! Oh, and also I'm back now! If I don't run into any unexpected problems, then I can promise that there won't be a break in chapters for the rest of the year! Of course, one never knows what pops up, but I'll try my best to keep it consistent.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Keizo swallowed nervously as he looked up at the arena. This was the day they had been waiting for. It was live or die now and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

Rui had been training hard all week with Temari and he knew she had made a lot of progress. She had probably even gotten better than him with determination alone. Keizo on the other hand had trained alone and only had one thing to prepare. He did get a few pointers when their old sensei arrived, but other than that he hadn't had that much outside help.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Rui. It was almost funny how their roles had been switched. Before she used to be cheerful and happy, but now she was an ice cold shinobi.

He on the other hand had started out from Suna with confidence in himself and his team. However, after Eichiro's death, that confidence had slowly faded and now he was a nervous wreck. Tanak-sensei had told him that the shinobi life could change you for the better or worse, but he had never really realized how drastic it could be.

As he was thinking this Rui was calculating whom she would meet in the exams. She had a hope above all else that she would meet the Iwa shinobi that killed Eichiro, but the chances were very slim. Other than that she could imagine a few she would do well against, but even more she would do badly against. The only thing she could do was hope that the odds were in her favor.

With that in mind she started walking forward. Keizo noticed this and followed a few steps behind. It seemed that there was no turning back now.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Akane watched with weary eyes as the two Suna shinobi walked into the arena. She and Tai had taken up positions in the middle of the huge battleground as instructed by the proctor. She felt a chill run up her spine as the cold eyes of Rui turned to her.

She turned away and instead focused on the crowds that were slowly getting bigger as the people arrived. For a brief moment she did wonder if any of the participants would be having performance anxiety, but quickly shook that thought. If they managed to get this far into the competition then they would probably not be hindered by something like that.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and shot a small smile at Tai. The Byakugan user had noticed the reaction her 'friend' had when the Suna gang entered and had promptly stepped closer to the gray-haired woman.

Akane seemed to be a little more at ease now that Tai was standing closer. Tai would not let any harm come to Akane while she still could. She dreaded the beginning of the final exam. She would not be able to protect Akane when the fights started.

That frightened her more than death itself.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sanako arrived at the arena; bow strapped to her back and her other secret weapon ready. She momentarily let her eyes wander up to the private booths and almost frowned when she saw Tenten sitting in one by a pale-eyed woman and a blonde with whiskers.

She had honestly expected the Mizukage to at least assign someone to tail the woman, but apparently not. Perhaps she had been wrong after all and the two had cleared it up that same night. She would have to ask the Mizukage later. For the moment she had to simply focus her attention on the exam.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As the final contestants arrived Tenten took the time to look them all over. Kiri were standing up for itself with all of its chunin reaching the finals. Even if it was just two of them it showed that Kiri was indeed the strongest since they were the only ones to have all their chunin survive.

Konoha had showed with two teams of three and Tenten could honestly say she was sad that four Konoha shinobi did not make it. She hadn't known any of them too well, but she had known them and thinking that they were dead wasn't really pleasant. Suna had also lost four of its six participants.

Iwa had showed up with strength in numbers, but as the exams went on they had easily been taken down. Only two remained, but that showed that their forces weren't as strong as they once used to be. It was obvious that the war had cost them a lot of strength.

Kumo was represented the worst out of all five. Even if some of their chunin made it to the finals, the fact that it was only two of thirty did not reflect well on the nation's shinobi. It was obvious by this point that the Raikage was more than a warmonger, but also sent a bunch of unexperienced chunin into the exams.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring Kumiko here Tenten-chan?" A concerned Hinata asked. Tenten turned her head to look at Kumiko for a moment before she turned to Hinata. "She wants to be a shinobi so she should know what she is getting into." Tenten replied steadily.

"But isn't it a little early? She's still so young." Hinata responded softly. "True, but the sooner she realizes that shinobi life isn't all glory and happiness the better." Hinata sighed, but nodded her head.

Instead of arguing more she focused on the arena floor. As her eyes scanned over the participants, they stopped when she noticed a girl with pale eyes. _'Strange…'_ She thought as she squinted.

' _It looks like she has the Byakugan, but that can't be possible. Unless she took them from a Hyuga… but she would only be able to take them from someone of the main branch… oh no… please don't tell me that Hanabi…'_ She trailed off as she let the possibility sink inn.

Naruto seemed to notice Hinata's reaction and looked over at her with worried eyes. "Is something wrong Hinata-chan?" He asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The blue-haired girl shook her head and gave a weak smile. "No, I'm fine." She said.

Naruto didn't push the issue and Hinata was thankful. As she focused back on the girl in the arena she felt her smile slip. Whose eyes had she acquired? Hinata almost didn't want to know.

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Yamada glanced at Tenten from the corner of his eye. The private booth she was inhabiting with Naruto and Hinata had been purposefully been placed as close to the kage booth as possible. It was at first for them to be close should something happen, but now Yamada as also using it to keep an extra eye on her.

He honestly didn't know what else to do anymore. He could confront her about it, but misunderstanding the situation could end in a worse outcome than he already had. Just ignoring it wasn't an option either since kiri's security was at stake. In the end he had decided to assign one of his best ANBU to the case of keeping an eye on her.

If she was ever to meet in secret with Konoha shinobi again, then the ANBU would inform him immediately for so to lead him to where they would be. That was the best he could come up with at the moment.

"Mizukage-dono, it seems that the stands are pretty full at this point. I think it's about time to start the exams." Yamada looked to his left at the red-head who had spoken. He had almost forgotten that the other kage were there as well.

"Yes, of course. I apologize, but I got lost in my thoughts." Yamada said as he stood up from his chair and walked to the edge. He didn't even need to raise his hands, because the moment he came into view the crowds quieted down.

"I welcome you all to the first ever official international jonin exams!" A roar from the crowd was heard before they quieted down again. "Some of you have traveled far to see this event and for that I want to personally thank you! The participants have fought long and hard to reach this stage of the exams and now it will finally be decided who among them is worthy of the title of jonin. I hereby announce the start of the final of the jonin exams!"

The crowd roared in approval as Yamada walked back to take his seat. "Shot, but effective. Very impressive speech, Mizukage-dono." Yamada cast a look at the smirking Tsuchikage one last time before he took his seat. He decided to not respond and instead focus on the billboard that was randomly going through the names of the contestants.

Down at the arena floor the twelve participants watched the billboard with a mixture of emotions. Shikamaru didn't much care who he fought. As long as he could get it over with he was completely happy.

Akane watched with a sense of nervousness, completely unaware of the dread Tai was feeling at the same time. Rui felt a steady growth of anticipation as she watched the board. Keizo was in the same boat as Akane, feeling the nerves set in strongly.

Shino and Yuji watched with calm and calculated eyes. Akio was looking up into the air, hoping that he could fight first. Niou and Sanako both also seemed to be calm although they were slightly tense.

The names kept spinning, building the tension in the arena. Then the first name was revealed. Some sighed in relief while others tensed significantly.

Rui of Sunagakure

Rui tensed slightly, but was far from nervous. She was in fact quite excited. Her eyes briefly flickered to Akane, wondering if she could be that lucky. The names started spinning slower and slower until it was casually switching through the names.

When it finally stilled Rui felt the excitement pumping through her veins and her eyes permanently locked onto Akane. The gray-haired girl didn't need to turn to know that the Suna kunoichi was staring at her, especially since her name was displayed on the billboard.

"The first match will be Rui of Sunagakure no Sato Vs Inukai Akane of Iwagakure no Sato! All other contestants are asked to leave for the competitors' booth immediately!" The proctor, Haku, shouted. The other contestants quickly made their way out of the arena as Rui and Akane turned to face each other.

Haku looked from one contestant to the other. "Ok, here are the rules. Everything is permitted except exiting arena grounds. The battle will go on until one of you is either dead, knocked out or incapable of fighting. The match will not be stopped otherwise. Is that clear?"

Both contestants nodded, not breaking eye contact. Haku could already tell this was going to be a rough match as she took a step back. "Are both fighters ready?" Both responded with a 'hai' as they both fell into stances.

Haku raised her arm, looked one last time at both of them before lowering it and jumping back. Immediately both parties sprang into action. "Doton: Doryūsō!" Akane shouted as the earth spears launched out of the ground towards Rui.

Rui's feet connected with the wall of the arena before she pushed off, just barely dodging the earth spikes as they smashed into the wall behind her. She landed back on the ground, rolled once and then launched three kunai towards Akane.

Akane jumped backwards as the kunai imbedded themselves into the ground. Her eyes widened a moment later as she quickly slammed her hands into the ground. "Doton: Doryūheki!" The wall just managed to cover her before the explosion tag that was attached to the kunai exploded.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as Rui on top of the wall. "Fūton: Daitoppa!" Akane had no chance to react as the powerful wind blasted into her. She was lifted off her feet and sent flying until her back collided with the wall of the arena.

The power behind the attack could be seen as the wall cracked slightly where she had impacted. The wind let up and Akane fell to the ground. She managed to land in a crouch despite the pain in her back.

' _Shit… I'm really in deep shit right now. I might have to use my trump card early.'_ She thought as she caught her breath. "Fūton: Reppūshō!" Akane's eyes widened for a second time as she looked up.

Rui had thrown a barrage of shuriken and then used the gale palm to further enhance their speed. _'No time to erect another wall! Have to move!'_ Akane thought as she jumped to the side.

It was a close call, but she managed to dodge all but one that cut deep into her side. She grunted slightly in pain, but otherwise didn't seem affected. The other shuriken imbedded themselves in the wall behind her, but she paid them no mind. Her attention was solely on Rui.

' _I don't think I have a choice. She is obviously faster than me and it's a huge disadvantage.'_ She thought as she winced slightly from the pain in her side. _'Looks like I don't have a choice then.'_

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Tai's hands turned white as she gripped the railing harder and harder. Off all the people Akane could come up against it just had to be Rui, the one contestant who had a motive to kill her. The purple-haired kunoichi had almost looked away when Akane had hit the wall and wanted to run down there and kick Rui in the head when the shuriken had hit.

She felt so helpless not being able to intervene and it sickened her. She wanted so desperately to protect Akane against this threat, but she also knew that Akane would be angry with her if she did intervene. She was stuck in an inner turmoil until she noticed Akane was going to try a technique.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the handseals. _'Where the hell did she learn that technique?'_

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"It seems that your kunoichi is quite fast Kazekage-dono." Yamada said thoughtfully. "That she is. I have been informed that she has been trained by my sister for the last week." Gaara said.

"Temari took on a student? I never thought I would see the day." Yamada said with a hint of humor. Gaara's expression didn't change, but Yamada could see the hidden amusement in his eyes.

"Anyways, it is obvious that she does have a slight advantage and she is using it well." Yamada added. "True, but I wouldn't count Akane out just yet. I've been informed that she has yet to reveal her best… which it seems she is about to do." The Tsuchikage said with a smirk.

Yamada's eyes zeroed in on the girl as she started to go through handseals. A small smirk appeared on his face the moment he recognized the seals. _'Well this will certainly be interesting.'_

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Rui quickly noticed that Akane was trying to do a technique and started running hoping to intercept the older woman. Akane saw this, but quickly refocused on her technique. Rui started getting extremely close, but Akane knew she could finish it in time.

"Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu!" Rui was forced to stop as the earth before her exploded outwards. A huge arm extended from underneath the soil and slammed down where Rui was standing. The lime-haired girl managed to just jump out of the way and watched in awe as a huge earth golem rose from the ground.

It was easily two floors tall much to Rui's surprise. The golem immediately engaged Rui whom immediately started running from the huge creation. Akane breathed a sigh of relief and reached into her pouch to retrieve a soldier pill and popped it into her mouth.

The earth golem technique took a lot out of her, but Akatsuchi had said that she was exemplary good with it for only having practiced for a week. As she felt her chakra replenishing she started thinking out her next move.

Rui did a backflip to avoid the huge foot of the stone golem as it crashed into the ground. She then had to role to the side to avoid the giant fist that came at her. It seemed that the tables had been turned because now she was on the defensive and Akane on the offensive.

It was a minor setback, but Rui didn't plan on letting it stay that way. After she dodged another swing, she reached for her two twin fans Temari had given her. She wasn't completely effective with them, but to use her strongest techniques she needed to use them.

She quickly opened both fans and swung them both at the fist that was once again coming for her. The gust of wind that was produced was strong enough to knock the fist off course, but not enough to deflect it completely.

The fist barely clipped her shoulder, but it was enough for her to bite back a scream of pain. The next fist approached fast and Rui jumped back fast. Suddenly she found herself with her back against the wall.

The golem had lifted his foot, planning to crush her against the wall. However again, Rui was faster as she managed to jump out of the way. The golem instead hit the wall, leaving an imprint of its foot.

The golem seemed to get itself stuck in the wall, however, as it struggled to get its foot out. Rui used this to her advantage, using her one still usable hand to execute a technique.

"Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!" As she swung her fan, a blade of wind went directly towards the golem's head. Soon enough, the golem's head fell off as the golem itself went limp.

Akane, while Rui had been fighting the golem, had been plotting the next step in her plan. That's why Rui didn't get any breathing space after killing the golem as Akane's fist slammed into her injured shoulder. Rui was not prepared for this and therefore cried out in pain.

Akane followed up by spinning around and slamming her elbow into Rui's jaw before kicking her away. Rui stumbled a few feet before she managed to catch her balance. She didn't even manage to turn around before another round of earth spears were sent her way, these ones at close range.

Just as the first spear came within inches of her face, she turned to the side, barely allowing it to pass in front of her face. The second spear was coming towards at lightning speed, but instead of dodging it, Rui jumped into the air for so to kick off from the spike. She flew over the rest of the spikes and straight for Akane.

The gray-haired girl had been caught off guard by this and had no time to react as the fan in Rui's hand sliced through her neck. Rui stopped just behind Akane, the sharp edge of the fan glinting in the light. Akane's expression didn't change as her head fell off from the body.

However, as the head made contact with the ground it smoldered into earth soon followed by the body. Rui turned, clearly surprised by this new turn of events and quickly started looking around for her enemy.

She didn't get a long time to figure it out as just seconds later Akane broke through the crust of the earth right in front of Rui. Her fist connected with Rui's jaw and she was sent flying into the air. Not able to do anything, Rui could just hope that she would be landing back on the ground safely.

"Doton: Dosekiryū!" That hope was lost as the earth dragon broke through the crust of the earth and headed up towards Rui. The dragon opened its mouth, taking Rui between its maws.

It then changed course too directly towards the arena wall. Moments later it crashed into the wall, hard and several gasps where heard in the audience. As the dust slowly settled Akane prepared for the other girl's counter attack, but it never came.

As the dust completely settled, people could see Rui, lying in a crater in the side of the wall completely motionless. Akane didn't even hear as Haku approached. She only noticed when her arm was lifted into the air.

"Winner of the first round; Inukai Akane of Iwagakure!"

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Tai breathed a sigh of relief when Akane was declared the winner. There was no way for anyone to tell how much relief she felt with just those few words. She wanted nothing more than to run down into the arena and hold her close, but she knew she couldn't.

They had to keep their relationship secret. It wasn't because they wanted to, but simply because of the fact that a relationship between two women was greatly looked down upon. That didn't stop the relief from flooding her system as she felt herself relax.

That was when she first noticed the boy from Suna was standing right beside her. He looked as worried for Rui as she was for Akane which surprised her somewhat. Apparently the boy had some deep emotions for the girl. Whether it was as a family member or a crush she didn't know.

"Don't worry." She said to him, not turning from looking down into the arena. "She's still alive." She added when he turned to look at her. "How did you…" He trailed off when he saw her white eyes and made the connection.

He seemed to accept her comment as his grip on the railing relaxed and the worry lessened, but didn't disappear from his face. As the medics ran into the arena to check on Rui, Akane started walking towards the stairs up to the booth. Deciding to meet her mid-way, Tai turned away from the view of the arena and started walking down the stairs.

They met in the middle and after making sure no one were around; Tai embraced the younger girl lovingly.

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"A very interesting match. Both sides show potential to become jonin." Yamada said as the medics started carrying Rui off the field. It had been declared that she was still alive, but unconscious.

"While that is true, I believe that Rui-san is not quite ready yet." The Tsuchikage said. "Why not? She displayed a great ability to improvise and showed great use with her techniques." Tsunade fired back.

"True, but Akane used a better tactic in buying herself time to plan far ahead. While it is true that shinobi often improvise it is not always the best solution as we saw here today." The redhead countered.

"You both are correct, but I agree with Tsuchikage-dono. Rui seemed to be very driven by her emotions in this match which is not a good trait in a jonin." Yamada said, sharing his opinion of the matter. "Inukai-san on the other hand seemed to have a cool head all the way through the fight."

Tsunade couldn't argue with that and therefore stayed quiet. None of them said it, but this was a small victory for Iwa and Kumo.

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"The next two contestants will be selected now!" Haku announced loudly to the arena once the cheers had died down. Again, the names started spinning randomly at the board making several of the chunin nervous.

As the last time, one name stopped before the other one. "Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as his name was the first one to appear. The last name slowly stopped spinning as it finally came to a stop on a name.

Haku looked up at the board before nodding to herself. "The arena will now be prepared for the second match between Nara Shikamaru of Konoha and Yuji of Kumo!" She announced.

Before anyone had a chance to ask any questions the whole arena shook slightly. Then the arena floor split into four different pieces and was slowly pulled into the wall. From underneath the four pieces a small forest area emerged and took its place as the arena floor.

This was a new technological wonder that Yamada had heard off. It provided with perfectly random areas for the contestants to fight. If they had prepared to only fight in the flat arena floor, then they would be forced to adapt. While it might be harder to see what was going on, it was still a pretty good alternative.

As soon as the floor had stopped moving Haku jumped down and positioned herself in the middle again. There was a small clearing there which was perfect to start the match in. "The two contestants may now descend to the arena floor."

As the two arrived they both started silently sizing each other up. Shikamaru was a lot more subtle about it, hiding behind his lazy outer appearance. Yuji on the other hand was very obvious about his intentions.

"Are both contestants ready?" Haku asked. "Troublesome, but yes." Shikamaru said with a yawn. Yuji merely inclined his head while keeping a steady gaze at Shikamaru.

Haku raised her hand into the air, keeping it there for a moment to build tension, and then lowered it quickly. Almost immediately Shikamaru jumped back into the shadows of the thick forest leaving Yuji standing there alone.

' _Gotta watch out for his shadow.'_ Yuji thought as he idly looked around. As far as he knew, Shikamaru was heavily dependent on his clan techniques. That was at least what he had concluded with in the week before the exam.

The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever and the audience was growing restless, as were the other participants. All the time Yuji had just been standing there while Shikamaru was doing kami knew what.

Then finally, Shikamaru's shadow stretched out from the shadow behind Yuji. The Kumo shinobi reacted quickly, jumping straight ahead and into the forest on the opposite side. However, as his foot touched down on the tree branch he aimed for a wire snapped.

Moments later a barrage of shuriken was launched at him, forcing him to move on. He jumped down onto the ground and another wire snapped. The hissing sound of explosion tags caught Yuji's attention and he quickly started running. As he ran in between the trees an explosion tag lit up on each tree he ran past.

All the audience could see so far was the different trees going up in explosions revealing more and more area so that they could see better. Up in the kage booth Tsunade seemed pleased with Shikamaru's performance so far, however, she would have liked if he could finish it up faster.

Off all the things Yuji thought would hit him, splinters from the exploded trees was not it. Kunai? Yes. Shuriken? Yes. But splinters he had not expected which is why he was surprised when a rather large one imbedded itself into his foot.

However, he didn't have time to feel the pain. If he lingered a moment longer he would be dead. Therefore he quickly and roughly pulled it out and continued running, ignoring the pain.

He eventually reached the wall and started running up until he was above the trees. All eyes in the arena were drawn to him as they finally had something other than explosions to look at. Once he stopped Yuji placed a hand against his bleeding leg. He would need to beat Shikamaru quickly, because if it continued to bleed like it did right then and there then he would eventually pass out from blood loss.

Re-enforcing his legs with chakra, Yuji jumped as far into the arena as he could. Once he landed he quickly sprinted towards the middle while doing handseals, completely ignoring all the traps going off around him.

Once the middle got into view, he stopped and extended his arms outwards. "Raiton: Sandāboruto." He silently whispered as two spheres of lightning appeared in each of his palms. Lightning started violently lashing out everywhere around him, striking trees in half and leaving intense burn marks on the ground.

Yuji pumped more and more chakra into the technique and the lightning extended further and further. The audience was greeted with a great view of this as soon the technique grew above the forests' height. It wasn't long now before the random strikes would be lashing up against the wall, but Yuji was getting tired.

It was a simple technique when contained, but pumping chakra into the technique like a madman had drained him quite a lot. However, as the technique quickly started shrinking Yuji realized he had hit more than just the trees.

Shikamaru was climbing back to his feet a few meters away and had obviously been struck by the lightning. However, Yuji was in no shape to take advantage of the situation as he collapsed to one knee on the grass.

Shikamaru had been hit in the stomach. He honestly wasn't sure how he was still alive since that much electricity should have killed him, but somehow he was alive. His plan had worked almost perfectly up until the point where Yuji started fighting back.

Many of his traps had been disabled in that single moment as the technique rampaged throughout the arena. Now he was back at base one and he was wounded as well. However, he did seem to have an advantage if the stream of blood running down Yuji's leg was anything to go by.

Yuji hadn't noticed it before a few moments later, but his attack seemed to have started a fire. One of the trees that had been hit had caught on fire and it was now spreading quickly. That could become a problem later on, but for now it was a minor annoyance.

Finally he caught his breath enough to struggle to his feet and the moment he did so his eyes immediately connected with Shikamaru. As their eyes met in an intense stare both of them knew that the battle was far from over.

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Reviews

Guest

Well, to be honest, developing another character at this stage might be a little difficult. I'm not planning on this being as long as book 2 because that one was extremely long. I don't think I have the time for it sorry.

Thanks for correcting my spelling btw! Sorry about that little misspelling. It's just that sometimes in Norwegian we use in and inn. Sometimes the two languages mix in my head and I just write the Norwegian word instead.

Chance green G king

Well, of course we have to have some tension. ;)

Cathyscloud9

Thanks for the review!

 **AN:** Sorry if I didn't do Shikamaru well, but I am hopeless when it comes to coming up with elaborate plans and such. For me he is one of the hardest people to write battle-wise. Personality-wise he's pretty easy on the other hand. So anyways, what do you think of the first fight? I wanted to make it so much longer than it actually was, but it just fit so much better to end it there, especially for what I plan on doing later on. Originally I planned on making it maybe out the entire chapter, but I scrapped that idea.

So the question of this week… I don't really have anything specific in mind so I'm just going to come up with a random question.

Do you play Pokémon Go and if you do; what team are you on?

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

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"Yuji-san was very foolish standing in the open like that for so long. I understand that the Nara's shadow techniques are difficult to overcome, but to be as cautious as he was is not the right decision." All eyes turned to Yamada as he spoke.

"Are you saying that my shinobi are stupid?" The Raikage asked with a slight growl in his voice. "Not at all Raikage-dono. I am simply implying that your shinobi made a stupid decision. He did surprisingly manage to hit the enemy though so I will commend him on that." Yamada replied.

The Raikage seemed to accept the explanation easily which further roused Yamada's suspicion. "True as that is, he has shown commendable ability to think on his feet." The Tsuchikage said.

"That does not seem to be enough for my shinobi Tsuchikage-dono. Why would it be enough to get Yuji-san promoted then?" Gaara fired back. Yamada had to restrain a smirk at the small banter between the two sides of the war. It was highly amusing and he honestly hoped it would continue.

The Tsuchikage leveled a glare at the Kazekage. "I didn't say it made him deserving of a promotion Kazekage- _dono._ " She said. To the ones untrained in politics that sounded like a normal sentence, but to the other four kage it was like venom was dripping from the title when the word left her mouth.

"Enough of this my fellow kage. It seems that both contestants have gotten back to their feet. Let's pay close attention so that we can further judge their abilities." Yamada said.

There were still words both sides wanted to dish out, but both refrained from doing so. Instead they all focused back to the bottom of the arena.

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Yuji kept a close eye on the shadow of the Nara and at the same time focused on the enemy's movements. He knew he was at a disadvantage. The Nara's great intellect was not something he skipped over when preparing for the exams.

However, so far the only thing Shikamaru had done was set up traps. They were good traps, but nothing spectacular. It almost made him question if the rumors of their intellect was true, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He had met people who had faced the Nara in battle and barely lived to tell the tale after all.

A movement on the Nara's body caught his attention and he looked up just to see the Nara's eyes flickering towards the one patch of forest still standing. Keeping his smirk inn, Yuji started slowly walking so that he could position himself between the Nara and the patch of forest.

Shikamaru seemed to understand what he was doing because a moment later he started sprinting towards the small collection of trees. Yuji started sprinting a few meters ahead of him and started actively throwing kunai and shuriken back at the Nara. However, the Nara dodged it all much to Yuji's frustration.

Soon he was the one who would be inside the forest, something that was not good. However just as he was at the edge of the forest Shikamaru stopped running. Confused, Yuji turned around just in time to see Shikamaru exhale a huge ball of fire.

' _Since when did he learn…?!'_ He didn't have a chance to finish that thought as he was forced to jump back into the small forest. A wall of fire now separated the two enemies.

However, before Yuji could run out of the small forest another fireball was launched behind him, making the fire spread to all around him. He was now completely surrounded by fire and no way out. The branches above him where burning which blocked him from jumping out and all around him the fire was raging.

' _I need to find a way out of here or I'll be burned to death.'_ He thought as he looked around. _'There!'_ He thought as he saw a small opening in the firewall to his left. He quickly sprinted towards the opening and jumped through the flames.

Since he lifted his arms to cover his face he didn't see what was on the other side before it was too late. Moments later he was completely tangled in shinobi wire just outside the raging fire.

As he struggled to break free, he heard footsteps approaching his position. Suddenly he couldn't struggle anymore. "Kage–Kubishibari no Jutsu, success." Shikamaru said as the shadow hand stretched towards Yuji's throat.

Now realizing what had happened, Yuji looked up at the Nara in disbelief. "You planned this all along?" He asked. "I didn't plan on your little lightning show because that hurt as hell, but other than that, yes." The Nara said.

"It was troublesome, but I already had a tactic the moment I saw the forest on the new arena floor. I knew you would know of my shadow possession techniques so I had to come up with a plan. Since I knew you wouldn't suspect my fire affinity I used that to my advantage. I controlled where the opening in the flames appeared and set up a small trap. Now are you going to give up or will I have to kill you?"

Yuji hesitated for a moment longer, but when he felt the shadow hand constrict around his neck he quickly surrendered. Haku landed on the ground and walked up to the two boys. "Winner of the second round; Nara Shikamaru of Konohagakure no Sato." As the cheers broke out in the crowds Shikamaru let go of Yuji and walked off. He was approached by a medic and he easily accepted the help.

Yuji was also approached by a medic, but instead of even responding to them he walked off… or rather limped off. "There will be a small pause in the program for about fifteen minutes while the fire is being extinguished!" Haku announced and people used this chance to get out of their seats to go to the toilets and such.

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The first one to arrive in the competitors' booth was Yuji. Akio watched him walk by, but didn't say anything. The look on Yuji's face told Akio that no one should approach him. He had seen that look before after all.

Whenever someone outsmarted him he got angry. He was considered quite a genius himself, but this time he had underestimated the opponent. He hadn't expected for the Konoha-nin to learn elemental jutsus and that was his first mistake.

However, Akio knew he wasn't angry at Shikamaru. On the contrary he was angry at himself for not expecting it. Yuji was one who prided himself on knowing everything about his opponent beforehand. The fact that he hadn't known about the Nara's fire abilities would bother him for a while, but he would get over it.

As Shikamaru arrived and was congratulated by his teammate Akio noticed that the billboard started spinning names again. Just as she thought no one was looking, Akane slipped out of the room.

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Yamada looked down and frowned as he saw Tenten leaving the booth to probably go to the bathroom. He wanted to follow her, to talk to her, but he didn't. The reason why was because he honestly wasn't sure what to say.

Would he confront her directly? Would he trust her and hope that she wasn't betraying said trust? He just didn't know and that was why he chose not to go after her.

The fact that the two hadn't been talking for about three days was disturbing, but the guilty look Tenten always tried to contain when she saw him was even worse. It further confirmed his suspicions that she could have betrayed him, but he didn't want to draw drastic conclusions.

' _I can't… I just can't think of her doing something like this. What will I do if it's true? What will happen with us? This is all so fucking frustrating!'_ He could already feel a headache coming up and the squabble between the two sides of the war was becoming more annoying than amusing at this point.

Luckily it seemed like the matches were about to begin again and the other four kage quieted down. Yamada glanced down and saw that Tenten had indeed returned to her seat. No alerts had been received from his ANBU which was a good thing.

For just a moment he decided to let the current dilemma wander out of his mind and instead focus on the upcoming battle.

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When Rui woke up she immediately took in the surrounding environment of the medical ward. With a sigh of frustration she let her head fall back onto the pillow as the memories of the match rushed back to her. She had lost the match…

Why had she lost? She had the advantage from early on in the match! And still that woman from Iwa had managed to turn the tides. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides as she grit her teeth.

' _I'm still too weak! She's still stronger than me! How am I supposed to avenge Eichiro if I can't even beat her?!'_ Her frustration and anger turned into grief at the thought of her lost friend. Tears welled up in her eyes and started trickling down her cheeks.

The sound of the door opening made her quickly lift her arm and dry away the tears. As she looked at who entered her anger quickly returned. "What the hell do you want?" She asked harshly.

Akane was not affected by the other girl's words in the slightest. Instead she walked up to the bedside and looked down at the girl. "What? Come to gloat about your victory?" Rui spat.

"I came to apologize properly about what happened to your teammate. I really am sorry for what I did. I know the feeling of-" Rui abruptly interrupted the older woman. "You know nothing of the pain I feel!" She shouted angrily.

Akane adapted a hardened look on her face as she stared directly into the younger girl's eyes. "Are you really that naïve that you think you're the only one who has lost teammates? If anyone doesn't know anything about pain then it's you. I've lost more teammates than I want to count! That includes my original team! You think you've felt the worst pain for just losing one comrade, well you're wrong!"

After her outburst she quickly walked out of the room. "I understand now that it was a fucking mistake coming here." She muttered as she walked out, leaving a completely stunned Rui.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next two contestants had already walked down to the arena floor when Akane arrived back in the booth. Tai noticed instantly that something was up and quickly walked over to her younger lover.

"What happened?" She asked. When she spotted her Akane instantly dried away a stray tear, hoping that Tai hadn't noticed. Of course she did however, but knew this was not the place to speak of such a thing.

"We will discuss this later." Akane was relieved and nodded her head. As the two walked up to the railing, Haku approached the two contestants in the arena.

Sanako stared down her opponent. She could have been matched against someone more suitable, but she supposed she could beat the bug user. It was hard to make out what the Aburame was thinking because of glasses and she honestly couldn't make out what he was planning.

She knew of his abilities though. The bugs the Aburame clan used were infamous after all. However, if the Nara's match was anything to go by, then he had probably also learned some elemental tricks so she would have to be on the lookout for those.

Other than that she would probably be fine. As long as she stayed away from the bugs and kept an eye on his jutsus she would probably win. Although she was taught to never underestimate an opponent so she would still keep her guard up.

The terrain had once again been changed after the uprooted trees had been cleaned up. They were now standing in a rocky area with huge boulders covering several parts of the arena floor. Other than that there were a few hills, but nothing that could really hinder either side.

The boulders would work to the Aburame's advantage since Sanako was mostly a long-range fighter. However, they were a minor annoyance all in all.

"Are both parts ready?" Sanako nodded her head as Shino did the same. Haku lifted her arm and then quickly dropped it before jumping away. Immediately Sanako rushed for the nearest boulder while Shino jumped back to hide behind another one.

The orange haired kunoichi came to a stop on top of the boulder and quickly drew her bow. Placing an arrow on the string she idly looked around for any sign of the Aburame at all. As she saw just a sliver of movement, she released the arrow in that direction.

Whatever it was pulled back in time to avoid being hit, but Sanako had a backup plan. As the arrow imbedded into the ground she immediately detonated the exploding tag she had attached. The explosion hit and Shino barely managed to jump to another boulder.

As quickly as she could Sanako had another arrow ready and fired it in the direction Shino was headed. She cursed as the arrow barely strafed his jacked before he disappeared behind the second boulder. This time she had not prepared an exploding tag and therefore had to wait for him to show himself.

She was well aware of the insects that were slowly streaming out from behind the rock. They were all slowly amassing before Shino would probably send them her way. However, she had a way of dealing with that when the time came.

The current moment she spent keeping an eye out for Shino. The bug user didn't move for the longest of time, but Sanako was a patient kunoichi. She could probably stand around for hours. The tension was building as more and more insects amassed.

' _I'm patient, but not suicidal. If such a huge amount of insects even make it close to me I'll be out of it before I can realize it.'_ She thought. "Fuck it…" She muttered as she aimed an arrow at the bugs.

She fired and a moment later made a handseal. "Yajirushi kage bunshin no jutsu." She whispered. Moments later a cloud of smoke enveloped her arrow. When it reappeared there were hundreds of clones of it and all of them where headed for Shino's general area.

The moment the first one hit the ground Sanako detonated the explosive tags. She barely saw Shino dashing forward before the explosion enveloped the area. The massive explosion rocked the arena as fragments of rock were flung everywhere.

Sanako swung her bow to block a piece of rubble before swiftly getting another arrow ready. Unless the bugs the Aburame used were un-destroyable there was no way they had survived. Just to be sure though she quickly took aim in that general direction.

The smoke from the explosion easily covered a large area of the arena and Sanako cursed herself for being impatient in that moment. The smoke obscured her vision making it easy for Shino to move around undetected. However, the smoke was very quickly lifting giving her more and more vision.

She was very surprised to see Shino standing opposite of her on top of another boulder. She didn't let the chance slip however, and quickly fired an arrow at him. The arrow hit him straight in the head, much to her surprise.

The surprise was only made bigger when Shino dissolved into bugs. _'A clone!'_ She thought in alarm before spinning around, instinctively thinking that he was behind her.

Sure enough, just as she turned around she barely had the chance to block with her bow as Shino's kunai decended towards her. That however, seemed to be a ploy because as soon as the two objects made contact bugs started scurrying from Shino's sleeve and over onto her bow.

She mentally cursed as she let go of the bow and jumped back. While it would be harder to beat him without it, she didn't feel like having her chakra drained just so she could keep it. The bow clattered to the ground, still covered in bugs. Shino was probably doing that to keep her from picking it up again.

' _If I get into close combat I risk getting overrun by insects, but if I don't then I'll have to reveal my trump card early, something I want to avoid if possible. I don't have many options though.'_ She thought as she assessed the situation.

The situation had changed from tense too bad in her opinion. If she didn't come up with a strategy fast it would probably be over. Shino on the other hand looked calm and free of damage except for the small cut in his jacket courtesy of her arrow.

' _I don't think I have much of an option. I wanted to keep my affinity hidden a little longer, but I guess I don't have a chance. After all, it isn't the only trick I have up my sleeve.'_

Her affinity was not one commonly found in Mizu no Kuni. It wasn't really surprising considering where her clan was originally from, but it was still so rare that only people in her clan were able to teach her anything about it. Still she had been taught and back then it had helped her get to chunin. Now it seemed it would help her get to jonin as well.

Reaching behind her and removed two identical blades from her back. Tenten had surprised Sanako with how much she made her learn over the week. She was far from a master with the Sai blades, but she was decent enough. Despite the fact that she could possibly be a traitor, Sanako had to hand it to Tenten. The older woman knew her way around weapons.

Shino's eyebrows appeared above his sunglasses, like he hadn't expected her to pull out a close range weapon. However, these knives weren't just normal knives. She proved this fact when she channeled chakra into the blades making fire burst out around them.

A small smirk rolled over her face as she saw Shino tense up. Instead of giving him a chance to adjust to the situation however, she instead decided to rush inn. The fire would hopefully keep the bugs at a distance.

She quickly brought her arms together and did a cross slash against Shino's chest. Shino quickly jumped backwards, but the fire didn't just stop where the blades ended. The fire extended in two arcs and hit Shino's chest directly on contact.

His jacked didn't catch on fire, but several insects had flown out to protect him and were now on the ground, dead. Shino stood up straight and lifted both his arms into the air.

"I forfeit. Why you may ask? I did not anticipate her to have a fire affinity. At this stage I am at a disadvantage even when I removed her bow." He said calmly. Haku approached and looked at Shino. "Is this your final decision?" When Shino nodded Haku approached Sanako and lifted her arm in the air.

"The winner is Fūma Sanako of Kirigakure!" Sanako was quite disappointed the fight had ended in Shino withdrawing and obviously the crowd was also displeased as they booed quite loudly. Still, she supposed the would preserve chakra for her next match.

As she came back to reality she saw that Shino was standing right in front of her, holding her now uncovered bow up to her. "Thank you." She said politely as she picked the bow out of his hands.

Shino merely gave a soundless nod before he turned around and started walking away. As she walked away from the arena, her eyes spotted Tenten up in the stands. She was smiling proudly while her eyes were locked on the bow-user.

Sanako didn't know if she wanted so smile back or scowl.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Aburame-san did know when he was beat. That is a plus in my book." Yamada said. "Still, a shinobi at jonin caliber should be able to come up with a way around it in any situation." The Tsuchikage argued.

"True, but they must always know when to retreat as well, when to leave to fight another day." Tsunade said. "Both very good points." Yamada observed.

"For me the most impressive part was your kunoichi Mizukage-dono. She had a backup plan from the beginning it seemed like. And she seemed pretty confident when she entered the arena, although that huge explosion was a little risky move." The Kazekage said.

Yamada nodded in agreement. "True, she has always been very skilled for her age. She was trained by the best in her clan and Tenten-san has even given her a few personal lessons." Yamada said. Despite recent events he felt a certain pride well up in his chest when he mentioned Tenten.

He could practically feel Tsunade's eyes in his direction, but he didn't really care that much. "She must be very skilled then. I expect great things from her in her next match." The Tsuchikage said approvingly.

Yamada felt he had to agree with that.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten was happy that Sanako had taken her teachings to heart. The girl, although very new with close-combat, had executed that move almost perfectly. It was one of a few moves the two had practiced.

She was completely clueless to the girl's distrust of her though and was therefore confused why she didn't return the smile or at least acknowledge it. Perhaps she hadn't noticed her? That could be it of course, but she had been looking in Tenten's direction so she found it strange.

"Do you mind if we join you here?" Tenten looked up and saw, much to her dislike, Kurenai and Kakashi. She was about to deny them, but Hinata who was completely oblivious to Tenten's resentment welcomed them with a smile.

"Of course, just take a seat." Hinata said, beaming at the two. Kakashi nodded and plopped down. He immediately pulled out his book though. Kurenai decided to sit beside Tenten much to the younger woman's dislike.

It seemed like the day wouldn't be any good anymore.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As Sanako arrived in the competitors' booth she was greeted by Niou. "You did good Sanako-san." He said approvingly. Sanako responded with a small smile before she leaned against the railing next to him.

The two turned to look in the direction of the billboard. The names this time stopped almost at the same time. Shikamaru felt the need to curse when he saw the results.

"Well it looks like this will be an easy win!" Akio exclaimed loudly while cracking his knuckles. Choji looked worried for his own safety that is until Shikamaru walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine." He said reassuringly.

Choji seemed to lose some of his nervousness as he smiled at his friend. "Thanks Shikamaru." He said before he made his way down to the arena.

Akio had been so excited he had jumped from the booth and down to the ground. He was impatiently waiting for Choji's arrival. When the Akimichi finally did arrive he smirked widely. "Finally you're here!" He shouted.

"Why are you so excited for this? We're going to try to kill each other." Choji responded in a more timid voice. "Why am I so excited? All I've known when I grew up was to fight. It's the thing I live for and to be completely honest…" He trailed off as he lowered himself into a stance. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Choji didn't respond and instead prepared himself to fight. "Are both contestants ready?" Both nodded, Akio more eagerly than Choji. Haku lowered her arm and quickly got out of there.

Akio didn't even waste a moment and flew into the Akimichi with his knee first. Choji was caught off guard and lost his breath as the knee connected with his stomach. Once he was sure Choji was unable to fight back for a few moments, Akio drove a punch into his face.

Choji staggered backwards, but completely fell on his back when Akio's foot connected with his head as well. Akio stood up straight and then jumped high in the air. As he decended he aimed himself to just about hit Choji in a killing blow.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Choji shouted as his arm expanded to several times its original size. He then lifted it to just block the incoming strike from Akio. He then used his other enlarged arm to try and punch Akio from the side, but the Kumo shinobi was too swift and quickly jumped off.

"What do you know? He can actually fight back!" Akio mocked, grin never leaving his face. As Choji got up, he dried away the blood on his forehead and the bit that was coming from his nose.

"I must admit, I thought you would take everything I dished out for you lying down. Guess I was wrong." The mocking tone was getting to Choji. "But I guess I can't expect too much from a fatty like you." That was something he could regret saying later.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Cathyscloud9

I am here to please!

Immatx

I know the feeling my friend, trust me. Writing a battle can be insanely difficult especially if you're not prepared beforehand which is why I'm going to struggle a lot with Shikamaru. Don't worry though. With enough practice you'll get the hang of it.

Go team instinct. I have been hooked on the game for so long now and instantly picked instinct because I like being the underdog. I feel embarrassed to admit this, but I have actually spent real-life money on the app because my addiction reached new heights. I just passed level twenty and am still going strong.

Thanks for the advice as well! I think it's really going to come in handy.

Guest

Haha, that was what I was thinking before, but once you start playing you won't be able to stop. Trust me, I've tried!

 **AN:** Have you ever played that game that makes you wanna forget everything else in life to just play? The one game that you just have to play every day no matter what? If so, is that game Overwatch?

I just can't get this game out of my head! I've been playing almost none stop since I upgraded my PC. I almost forgot to write because I was so addicted. I still am addicted and will probably be so for some weeks. There won't be any halts in uploads though so don't worry.

Now the question of the week. There are several actually. Have you played Overwatch? Are you as addicted as I am? And, if you're willing, are you looking for someone to play with? I find that playing with other people is so much more fun than playing alone. If you want, I can send you my name on through PM and we can play! You don't have to if you don't want to though. I just want more friends to play with. :P

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Oh boy…" Shikamaru muttered. He knew what was about to happen. Down in the arena Akio was oblivious to what he had just done. Choji on the other hand was looking like he was about to explode.

"What did you call me?" He asked through clenched teeth. His face was turning read giving him a comical look to whoever wasn't already terrified. Akio's grin widened as he received another chance to mock his opponent.

"You hear that people? Fatty is deaf too!" He shouted earning laughs from the crowds. "Chō Baika no Jutsu!" Choji's now massive foot slammed into the ground where Akio had been standing. The Kumo-nin had barely had the chance to move before the Akimichi had turned into a giant.

"Nobody calls me fat!" Choji shouted as his fist connected with the ground, sending tremors through the arena. It seemed that Akio understood he now had to take the match seriously, because the grin was gone from his face.

He made good distance between himself and Choji before he pulled out a sealing scroll from his pouch. It was a rather large scroll, barely fitting within the pouch. He quickly unrolled it on the ground and unsealed the first seal that appeared.

A puff of smoke later and he was revealed to be wielding something that would shock most of the shinobi in the arena.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada felt his hands tighten on the armrests of his chair. He had been searching for that sword and its wielder for the past five years. Never in a million years had he thought that it would end up in the hands of a Kumo-nin.

"Raikage-dono… tell me, how did one of your shinobi get their hands on Samehada?" The Raikage did not turn his head away from the fight; in fact he didn't even acknowledge that there had been a question asked. "Yes please tell us Raikage-dono. I must admit I'm curious as well." The Tsuchikage said.

"Kisame, former swordsman of the mist was found wounded just within the borders of Kaminari no Kuni by one of our scouts. He was dispatched and his corpse was brought back to Kumo to be studied." The Raikage answered in a monotone voice.

"However, we did not know how he got his hands back on his sword. Our intel told us that Konoha had originally been in possession of it." The Raikage continued. Yamada now turned his gaze to Tsunade who did not let a single emotion show on her face.

"That's right; we were in possession of the sword and had been so from the end of the fourth world war. However, the new war weakened us considerably and Kisame was easily able to infiltrate and steal the sword. We managed to damage him on his way out, but he did manage to escape our grasp." Tsunade explained.

Yamada didn't know what to think. He didn't really like either side's answer this time. Kumo hadn't delivered the body and the sword to kiri which lead to lack of trust in his eyes. Konoha hadn't said anything about possession of the sword which was also a sign of distrust. It was a loss for both sides.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Choji was big, that was true, but he still lacked in speed. This is where Akio thrived. When it came down to it, most battles were decided by who was the fastest. The fact that he was wielding Samehada didn't help Choji's case either.

The sword had instantly taken a liking to him the moment he had tried to pick it up. Anyone else from Kumo who tried had almost died from chakra exhaustion, died from chakra exhaustion or been pierced by the handle. The sword was very sentient and it showed as each time he unsealed it, there was this huge unsettling grin on its face.

This didn't deter him from using it however, and boy did he use it efficiently. With each hit he shaved away the layer of skin protecting Choji's tender flesh and each time a new batch of chakra was absorbed into the sword. Akio on the other hand was thriving on the battle.

It didn't take long before Choji started noticing how tired he was. His charka was quickly drained and in a matter of fifteen minutes the match was over with Akio as the winner. As Choji was carried out with the skin being shaved off on several parts of his body it was announced that the matches would continue the next day.

It wasn't really surprising considering the fact that the sun was beginning to set. As people filtered out of the arena, Tenten was among the last ones, carrying her half asleep daughter on her hip. As she did so she let a small smile grace her lips.

Kumiko had come to a realization that day it seemed. Tenten had been right when she assumed that Kumiko thought the life of a shinobi was all honor and glory. However, as soon as the first match had ended she had grown quiet.

By the time the second match started she had buried her face in her mother's chest, not daring to look back onto the arena. At that moment, Tenten had felt sorry for the girl, but she pulled herself together knowing it was for the best.

Towards the start of the last match Kumiko had finally spoken again. _"I don't think I want to be a shinobi after all."_ She had muttered before she drifted off.

Tenten had off course been glad for this. As a mother she was ecstatic knowing that the chance of her child having a short life was smaller. Of course there was a chance that she had changed her mind back again, but from the way she said it, it sounded like that wouldn't happen.

Yamada would also be happy to hear this new piece of news. Tenten's smile slipped as Yamada invaded her mind. She still was at a loss for what to do on that front.

Apologizing wouldn't make any sense because then she would have to explain why she was apologizing. Just interacting with him like nothing had happened was probably the best course of action to take, but she wasn't sure how he would react. Telling him what had happened was out of the question before she even thought of it.

She was mostly hoping that, at this point, he would approach her. However, no such luck did she have. As it seemed, he seemed to distance himself more and more. The night before he had disappeared into his small workshop on the first floor saying he had something to do. He hadn't come out until the next morning and Tenten knew he hadn't been in the bed that night.

"Kaa-chan…?" Tenten was almost startled when Kumiko's voice reached her ears. She had been so consumed in her thoughts that she had almost completely forgotten that she was carrying her daughter.

"What is it Kumiko?" She asked gently as she pushed some of the girl's brown hair out of her eyes. "Why aren't you and tou-san talking? Are you mad at each other?" Tenten's eyes widened as she was left speechless.

The fact that Kumiko had picked up on it just showed how badly it was. However, she quickly overcame her shock to reassure her daughter. "It's nothing to be worried about. Tou-san and I just… Kaa-chan has hurt tou-san's feelings." She finally managed to say.

"But why? Don't you love tou-san anymore?" The now fully awake girl asked. "Of course I still love your tou-san Kumiko-chan. It's just that sometimes people do things they will regret, but they feel like they have to." She tried to explain.

"But you regret hurting him right?" Tenten nodded her head. "Yes, but I can't make him forgive me I'm afraid." Tenten hadn't even realized they had arrived at the compound before she stepped inn through the door. "Now run upstairs and get ready for bed." She said.

When Tenten reached the top of the stairs she saw Yamada just exiting their bedroom. Both walked past each other quietly. No interaction was made, but both felt their chest constrict in sadness.

Yamada was decided that he would put Kumiko to bed. As he entered the room he saw that Kumiko was already settled under the covers. "How is my little hime?" He asked with a smile as he entered the room.

"I'm good tou-san!" She replied happily as Yamada took a seat on her bed. "Did you have fun today?" He asked, but was surprised when Kumiko shook her head.

"I didn't like to watch them fight each other… I decided that I don't want to be a shinobi!" Yamada was pleasantly surprised by this. However he had to be sure. "Are you really sure hime? Because if you are then you cannot attend the academy anymore."

"Hai, I'm sure!" Yamada smiled and ruffled her hair. "Well, whatever choice you make, I'll support you." He said. "Also tou-san…" Yamada waited patiently for Kumiko to continue speaking. She seemed nervous all of a sudden which was strange.

Kumiko took a deep breath. "Can you please stop being upset with kaa-chan? She's really sorry!" Yamada was surprised by her little outburst. She had said it so quickly that he barely managed to catch it, but he did.

"What do you mean hime?" He asked although he had a pretty good idea of what she meant. "Kaa-chan said she had upset you and that was why you weren't talking to each other… I don't want you to be like this. Can you forgive kaa-chan please?"

Yamada sucked in a breath before he sighed inwardly. "I'll try sweetie." Kumiko beamed at him when he had answered and hugged him tightly. "Alright, alright, enough now. You need to sleep." He said as he gently wrapped her in the blankets.

As he finally exited the room he immediately walked down the stairs. As he opened the door to his workshop he quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He hesitated a moment after that before slowly walking up to his desk and pulling out a drawer.

Inside the drawer was a small square box with an intricate design on the outside. Picking up the box Yamada turned it around in his hands as he sat down. After spinning it in his hands a couple of times, he turned it the right way and opened it.

Inside was a beautiful ring with a great purple crystal adorning it. He stared at the ring for the longest of time, as if contemplating something. He then closed the small box, put it on his desk and stood to leave.

Just as he opened the door, Kumiko's plea rung in his mind. He hesitated and looked over his shoulder at the box. He let go off the door handle and walked back. He quickly grabbed the box before stashing it in his pocket.

After locking up the room he quickly made his way up to his and Tenten's room. He opened the door and wasn't surprised to see her already asleep. He was almost forced to stop and just stare at her for a moment.

He sometimes forgot how lucky of a man he was to have such a gorgeous and caring girl at his side. However, there were times he was reminded off it and that moment was such a time.

His mind completely made up, Yamada started getting ready. As he slipped into the bed he closed his eyes with a smile on his face, looking forward to his plans the next day.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Morning came quickly and despite their little conflict, Tenten was pleasantly surprised when she found herself waking up in Yamada's arms. She let herself bask in the feeling of once again being surrounded by his loving embrace. It felt like ages ago that they had lain together like that and she had missed it a lot.

However, she was certain that Yamada was still angry at her and therefore didn't wish to push her luck. Unfortunately, when she removed herself from his grasp she didn't notice that Yamada stirred and woke up. He watched her as she got out of bed, stretched and then turned towards the bathroom.

He waited for a moment before he got up himself. He was quite uncertain of how he was going to approach Tenten after the last week, so he did the only thing he could come up with.

Tenten was surprised when the door was suddenly opened behind her. She turned around and was about to ask why he was just barging inn, but did not get the opportunity. Before she could utter a single word, Yamada kissed her and at the same time lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist.

Tenten didn't know what was going on, but she certainly wasn't complaining as she lost herself completely in the kiss. As the kiss deepened she completely dropped whatever she had in her hand as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't even remember what she had been using, but at the moment she didn't care.

It was indescribable how good it was to finally be intimate with Yamada again. Sure, it hadn't been so long in reality, but when one loved someone as highly as she did then a few days felt forever.

Yamada was in the same boat as her and wondered just how he had managed to keep away from her for as long as he had. His suspicions completely melted out of his mind and were replaced with thoughts of how much he loved Tenten.

After a while both of them felt the need for air overcome them. They slowly pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes, both of them panting slightly. Neither of them said anything, because the moment was just too perfect to break.

Eventually Tenten let out a breathless chuckle as her lips quirked upward. She wasn't quite sure where that abrupt kiss had come from, but she dam sure wasn't complaining at all. In fact, she more than welcomed the change.

"I wasn't sure how else to make up for the past days." Yamada finally said. "So I just did the first thing that came to mind." Tenten's smile grew a little wider as she tightened her hold around his neck, pulling him closer.

"Well I certainly appreciate it." She whispered into his ear. They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other close. It was a great relief to both of them. However, eventually they knew they had to pull apart.

Yamada was the first one to realize this as he reluctantly pulled away. "We've got to get a move on or we'll be late, but listen. I think that after these exams are over with we should go out and enjoy ourselves, just the two of us." He said.

Tenten didn't even need to think about it before accepting. It would be the perfect opportunity to tell him of their next child too. The small bump forming on her stomach was getting harder and harder to hide so it would have to be soon anyways.

"Of course, I would love that!" She responded happily. "Great!" Yamada said and kissed her one last time. He then left the bathroom to let Tenten finish her morning routine.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten was almost giddy as she escorted Kumiko to Yumi's house on the compound. Her daughter seemed to notice her mother's newfound happiness as well. "Did tou-san finally forgive you?" She asked hopefully.

"Well yes, but how did you know?" Tenten asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Because I asked him too. I didn't want you to be sad Kaa-chan." The girl responded with an adorable smile.

Tenten didn't know what to say. Was her daughter really the reason Yamada had spoken to her again? Had the little girl really managed to persuade him? Even if that was the case she was happy about it.

"Well in that case, thank you Kumiko-chan!" Tenten said happily as she bent down to hug her daughter close. Kumiko giggled as she returned the hug happily.

As the two arrived outside of Yumi's house and quickly knocked on the door. It seemed the day was full of surprises as it wasn't Yumi who opened the door, but Suigetsu. "You live here now or something?" Tenten asked with a raised eyebrow, suddenly skeptical about leaving her daughter in their care.

"Yeah, kind of…" Suigetsu said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Only then did Yumi arrive at the door with a bright blush on her face. "Hey Tenten… what's up?" She asked.

"I was going to ask if you could take care of Kumiko, but with him here I'm not so sure." She said, completely ignoring Suigetsu's outcry. "Oh, don't worry about him. He will be leaving soon anyways. I understand your concern though." She replied much to Suigetsu's protests.

Tenten still seemed weary, but Yumi simply waved her off. "Don't worry. Suigetsu will be leaving and won't have any influence on your daughter. I promise." Tenten seemed a little bit more at ease now.

Suigetsu gave up protesting and simply hung his head.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"The time is nearing. Are your shinobi prepared to do what is required of them?" Ryouji asked. "Of course, I fulfill my part of the bargain and you will deliver the ruins of Konoha on a silver platter to me." Danzō said, clearly agitated at being questioned.

"Good that means we're on the same page. And you're sure your shinobi will do it without hesitation?" Ryouji probed further. "Affirmative, they will get the job done regardless of their own lives. "Good…"

Ryouji turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks. "Just out of curiosity, why would you want the ruins of a dead hidden village?" He asked. "When I was younger I used to believe that I could still make Konoha mine. However when Konoha again was taken from my grasp five years ago, I realized something. The village will not accept me for their leader no matter what. Their so called 'will of fire' does not allow them to be ruled as I wanted them to. Therefore I see only one opportunity. I'm going to rebuild Konoha from the ruins and make it into the great village I know it can be."

Ryouji almost wanted to laugh at that. If Danzō only had known he was being lured into a trap then he wouldn't have been half as happy to cooperate as he was now. Not that the blue-haired man was going to tell him that.

"I see, well I hope this plan works out. Remember, if your shinobi screw up or anything goes badly on your end, the deal is up." He said before he walked out the door. Danzō narrowed his eyes on the opening of his door.

It went without saying that he didn't trust Ryouji or his boss further than he could throw them. However, the opportunity that was offered to him was too good to pass up. The chance to rebuild Konoha in his image…it was like a dream coming true.

However, he still needed to be cautious. There was especially one thing he didn't want Ryouji to get his hands on. It was his only way of controlling Tsunade and thus the only piece he had that still kept him in the deal.

"Hanshiro." He said and immediately the ROOT agent dropped from the shadows and into a kneeling position. "Check on our top priority prisoner." The ANBU almost immediately disappeared from the room.

In her isolation cell, Shizune felt quite lonely. It had been such a long time since her guard had checked on her last. She honestly had no idea what was happening on the other side of the door to her room, but whatever it was kept him busy.

The two had been growing very close the past five years, there was no denying that. At times Shizune even believed that, if they met at different circumstances, she could have probably seen herself with him.

Apparently Danzō's brainwashing hadn't completely worked on Hanshiro because he still had emotions. He was the only person in the place that was kind to her and he often brought her things to sate her boredom. Sometimes he just came and the two sat down and talked.

They could talk for hours about almost anything. However, after the first two years Shizune no longer had anything more to tell him. That's when he started telling her about himself. Although he was very reluctant at first, Shizune managed to make him open up more.

There was nothing out of the ordinary from his life really. He had grown up as a shinobi in Konoha and made chunin relatively early in his career. However it wasn't long after that when the Sandaime Hokage transferred him to Danzō's division.

The two had gone in for some sort of trade and in return Danzō received a shinobi. He was immediately put under the emotional conditioning and brainwash that the entire ROOT force underwent. However his case had been a special one.

It seemed that the person that was brainwashing him did something that was not supposed to be done. Not even a year after being brainwashed Hanshiro started regaining his memories. He did not tell anyone in the division about it and after a while he started to resent Hiruzen for what he had done.

He stayed loyal to Danzō only because he learnt what the man's real goal as, overthrow Hiruzen. However, after the Sandaime's death he wanted to leave and meet up with his family. The only problem was that he no longer knew where they were. They had moved out of Konoha and did not leave any way for him to contact them.

With nothing else to do, he stayed loyal to Danzō. Shizune wasn't sure why she was told the entire tail. Why had he trusted her with his entire life story? She wasn't sure really.

Maybe it was because she had told him her life story. It was the only logical explanation. Then her eyes widened for a moment as another one popped into her head _. 'No… he couldn't be…'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her cell was opened and inn stepped the man of her thoughts. "How are you?" He asked almost instantly. Shizune shrugged her shoulders and rolled onto her back on the bed, looking up at him.

"Same old, same old. Can't say I can try anything new in this cell." She replied. "Do you want me to bring you another book to read?" He asked as he sat down in a chair by the door.

"No, I'm good, but if you wanna stick around and just hang out I would appreciate it." Hanshiro nodded and the two fell into a comfortable silence. That happened more and more as the years passed. They started running out of subjects to talk about, but they did enjoy just being close to each other.

Suddenly Shizune spoke up. "Hanshiro?" Said man lifted his head to look at her. "What is it?" Shizune rolled back onto her stomach before she sat up.

"If… if I asked you to run away from this place with me… would you?"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Niou looked around at the remaining competition. There were only four of them left which meant he would either come up against Karui, Keizo or Tai. Honestly the one that seemed to be the easiest to come up against was Keizo considering he hadn't shown much skill so far. He was a decent shinobi yes, but if you asked Niou he wasn't jonin material.

Karui would be a little harder, but considering she relied on a sword it wouldn't be too bad. Tai on the other hand would be the real challenge. The girl had proven that she was willing to go up against a sword with only taijutsu and that somewhat took Niou off guard.

He was sure that he could beat her, but what it would take to beat her he wasn't so sure about. If their brief battle in the second stage was anything to go by however, then he would have his work cut out for him.

That was if he even came up against her. It would all be decided when the next battle was chosen. The two that were left would be given a chance to size each other up while the two that were chosen would battle.

As the billboard flashed through the four names, Niou felt calmer than he had expected to feel. He had expected to at least feel some anxiety, but he didn't. Instead he only thought about Yamada's last words to him the day before the exam started.

" _Just keep calm throughout everything. I know for a fact that you can beat most of them if you only play your cards right. You're a great student and an even greater shinobi. I've got a feeling that one day you might be worthy of the title of Mizukage."_

Those words had meant more to Niou than Yamada could ever know. With parents like his, he didn't have much encouragement. Suigetsu wasn't great with that either so those words, from the Mizukage no less, was really appreciated. Just because of those words he wanted to win just so he could prove Yamada right.

The names stopped spinning and Niou knew he would have to fight hard to eliminate his opponent. The board showed Hanari Keizo of Sunagakure vs Karui of Kumogakure. He glanced at his would-be opponent from the corner of his eye and spotted a smirk on her face.

He would definitively have to work hard.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Keizo didn't really think he stood a chance against any of the remaining candidates. However, he released a breath of relief when he saw Karui's name. At least this one he wasn't scared off.

Tai had this unnerving thing about her and her eyes didn't make it any easier. Niou had this commanding presence and seemed really intimidating in a fight. Karui was the only one who seemed to not have either of those traits.

As the two lined up in the arena Haku approached. The arena was back to being a flat surface which would probably work in Keizo's advantage. He would be able to keep his distance from her so that her sword would be very ineffective.

Karui was cursing about the same problem as she quickly studied Keizo. He wasn't overly muscular so she wouldn't have to worry about being overpowered. He had a fire affinity which was interesting in someone who came from Suna. She would probably be able to do him in if she was careful.

"Are both contestants ready?" Haku asked followed only moments later by the lowering of her arm. Karui immediately sprinted forward towards Keizo while pulling out her sword.

She swung her sword and the tip of it barely cut into the fabric of Keizo's clothing. However, the ark of lightning that arched out of the sword hit him square in the chest. He skidded backwards and there was a slight grunt of pain, but other than that he was quickly back in the action.

Keizo pulled out a kunai and quickly went for a counter slash, but Karui easily blocked it. If he was planning to engage her in kenjutsu then he was sure to lose and he knew it too, because moments later he made some distance. He jumped into the air and quickly released a jutsu.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" This forced Karui to jump back to and made some breathing room for Keizo. However, it didn't last long as Karui quickly made her way around to do a full on charge once again.

As the blade decended towards him once again Keizo thought fast and flipped backwards. As luck would have it, he hit the hilt of Karui's sword. This made Karui lose her grip on it and as she focused on that, she didn't realize that she was about to trip.

Moments later she fell into Keizo who also fell to the ground. When the two realized what had happened they also realized that Karui was lying on top of him.

Laughter broke out in the stands as the two quickly scrambled apart, both sporting huge blushes. "You fucking moron! I'll kill you for that!" Karui shouted angrily.

"How is this my fault? You fell on me!" Keizo countered. "Because you made me trip!" Karui roared as she charged again. Keizo barely managed to duck out of the way and was about to push her away. However, just as he tried Karui grabbed his hand.

She managed to stop him, but it now looked like he was groping her breast. Karui was seething at this point, burning a hole into the Suna shinobi's head with her gaze. Keizo was literally shaking knowing from experience that one did not touch a woman's boobs without permission, even in battle.

Karui spun around, put his arm over her shoulder, and slammed him into the ground. She then sat down on his stomach and punched him repeatedly in the face. "Don't. Ever. Touch. Me. Again!" She shouted; a punch for each word.

By the time she was done she was breathing heavily and Keizo was unconscious beneath her. Haku approached with a slightly wierded out look on her face although she tried to remain neutral.

She cleared her throat and Karui quickly scrambled off of Keizo. "Winner is Karui of Kumogakure." Haku announced, although it was barely heard over the roaring laugh of the crowds which had only grown throughout most of the fight.

Karui was beet red in the face as she made her way back to the competitor's booth. It was certainly a fight she wouldn't forget.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"That was… an interesting battle." Yamada said although even he was struggling to contain his laugh. None of the other kage answered him because none of them knew quite what to say.

"Well, I think we can all agree on one thing. Hanari-san didn't have a good strategy."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

It would be great to play with you, but I understand if your friend says no. otherwise, I'm totally ok with you being a noob seeing as I'm more or less a noob myself (only level 12). I just play to have fun mostly so playing with you I'm sure would be a blast!

Cathyscloud9

Patience is a virtue my dear Cathy. Everything will happen in time. ;)

 **AN:** Well I fucked up. No excuses from me this time. I completely forgot to upload the chapter last week. I just had so much on my mind that I didn't even considered that I had forgotten it. In fact, I didn't realize before I had written half of the next chapter and by that time it was already Thursday. I'm so sorry for forgetting. Please forgive me.

On a more positive note, my Overwatch addiction, while still there, has started to dull down slightly. Although now that season 2 has started I'll probably spend even more time just playing the dam game.

Question of the week… I don't really have anything in mind, sorry!

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As the arena floor changed, Niou found it very interesting when the new terrain appeared. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just a few hills and some trees. However, what was interesting was the deep canyon that housed a river in the bottom.

He had to wonder how these terrains where generated and how they could all fit underneath the ground, but that wonder was soon replaced with the several strategies he came up with as he observed the terrain. Not a long time later the two were ordered to descend into the arena.

Tai had a stoic expression on her face as she decended the steps, Niou following a few steps behind her. The two were positioned on either side of the canyon while Haku was standing on a branch that extended over the gap. "Are both contestants ready?"

Tai nodded soundlessly, as did Niou. As normal, Haku raised her arm and again lowered it in one quick motion before disappearing. Tai was the first to spring into action as she quickly jumped across the canyon.

She had hissed in annoyance when she had seen the layout. It did not bode well for her or her close combat tactic. If push came to shove then Niou could just stay on the side of the canyon she wasn't.

However, she knew he wouldn't. As one of the swordsmen of the mist he was almost honor bound to fight with a sword. It was basically required that their swords were to be used in one way or another in their fighting style. This she would use to her advantage.

Niou had gracefully pulled out his sword when Tai started to near him. Strangely enough he didn't pull the two he had strapped to his back, but rather the one he had been carrying on his hip. He was perhaps saving those two as a trump card later in the contest, but Tai wasn't about to let him get that far.

Niou knew he would have to be quick. Although extremely varied from the original, Tai's style had similarities to the Hyūgas' traditional style. Quick hits, but instead of targeting chakra points Tai was targeting other weak points in the body. With the added strength her raw muscles provided, Niou was sure that it would hurt quite a lot.

Finally, after much anticipation, the two clashed. Sparks flew as Niou's sword clashed with something of metal, but to his surprise it wasn't a kunai. Neither was it a tanto or another katana, but a bracelet.

As he tried to push with great force, Tai pushed with equal amounts of force against his blade with only the metal bracelet that protected her wrist. Meanwhile she cocked her other fist back and sent it in the direction of one of Niou's more vital organs. The boy realized in just the last second what she was planning and relented on the force behind his sword.

This surprised Tai as she stumbled forward slightly. That was all Niou needed as he grabbed her by the wrist and flung her a good few meters away. Tai managed to twist midair and landed with her feet connecting to the side of a tree.

She sent a glare in Niou's direction, but the boy could see the hidden excitement in her eyes. He realized that she had been looking forward to the fight and from the look in her eyes he could tell that she hadn't come unprepared.

All of this happened in a single moment before they both sprang into action once again. Tai once again started her approach for close combat while Niou started sprinting sideways. Along the way he swung his sword in her direction, releasing several torrents of water in her direction. Most of them she gracefully avoided, but there were those that almost hit her.

However, Niou couldn't keep a safe distance and at the same time launch attacks and he knew it. It was either one or the other and at that moment he was unsure which one was the most beneficial.

He got his answer when Tai finally caught up with him in a chakra enhanced sprint. In that single moment Niou stopped his memento and raised his blade to block the incoming strike. He lifted the broad-side of his sword to block, exactly what Tai had wanted him to do.

When her fist connected the unimaginable happened. Instead of stopping the strike, the blade cracked before it broke into several pieces.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sanako pushed off the wall and quickly walked up to the railing, almost not believing her own eyes. Had Niou's sword actually broken? The sword she had seen take a clear hit from some of the most powerful jutsu she knew of broke by a single punch.

It was almost not believable, yet it had happened. She had seen it with her own eyes. Up in the kage booth, Yamada was just as speechless, staring wide eyed at the now broken blade.

' _I may not be a master swordsmith, but even I know what that blade has been through so far. I also know how much power is actually needed to break such fine craftsmanship. This girl possesses a lot of power. Be careful Niou.'_

Back in the arena Tai smirked triumphantly as she looked at the remaining handle in Niou's hand. The boy had obviously not expected her to be so strong and it had worked to her advantage. However, now her strength wasn't a secret anymore, not that she was actively trying to keep it a secret.

However, she didn't have time to think about that in that moment. She had to use the advantage she was presented with. She followed up the destruction of the sword by a swift hit to Niou's wrist.

Niou winced as he could practically hear the bone snap as the handle of the sword dropped from his now useless hand. He quickly jumped back over the canyon. As he flew through the air his one still usable hand flashed through one handed seals.

' _Who taught you that I wonder…?'_ Haku thought sarcastically as her eyes flashed up to Yamada. Indeed, the kage was barely suppressing a grin. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the battle.

Tai had actually been surprised by the boy's knowledge of one handed seals. However, she realized moments too late what he was up to. When he had landed safely on the other side, she was halfway across the canyon.

"Suiton: Suijinheki!" Tai could only watch helplessly as the water beneath her in the canyon rose up towards her. As the water hit she was launched away from him and the water made a huge water wall that separated the two and split the arena in half. As he was holding the water wall up, a clone of Niou walked out of said wall and lined himself besides the original.

Back on the other side, Tai was looking for any way she could somehow break through the wall. However, the river on the bottom had not been a small one and the amount of water that was lifted up would surely kill her if she tried to jump through it.

However, all her plans were immediately thrown out the window when a huge dragon head protruded from the water wall. Her eyes widened and a fraction of a second later she was gone, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her.

Niou let the water wall fall knowing that Tai was distracted. The Byakugan wielder was chased all around the arena non-stop by the huge dragon. _'I can't keep going like this or I'm going to lose.'_ She thought with gritted teeth.

Sliding to a halt, the kunoichi turned to face the intimidating dragon. As it neared her she took a deep breath to calm herself. Her eyes narrowed and she adapted a traditional Hyūga stance which was a change from her normal stance.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten!" The whole stadium gasped in surprise and even Yamada could not hide his surprise. The girl started spinning in the traditional Hyuga technique. It was far from perfect, in fact it didn't even look close to the perfection a Hyūga could do.

However, just the fact that an outsider of the clan had managed to get that far with such a technique was quite a feat in itself. "Tsuchikage-sama… I feel that I have to ask. Where did your kunoichi learn such an advanced technique?" Yamada asked and his question was quickly backed up by Tsunade who also seemed to really want to know.

"Many die in war. Hyuga are no different. We've managed to extract quite a few secrets from their corpses, even the ones from the branch house." Tsunade seemed to be seething something Yamada took great amusement in. It wasn't a secret that the two of them never got along that well. They could tolerate each other and have polite conversations, but that was about it.

Yamada on the other hand seemed to accept the answer. In his experience with war he had fought a crazed maniac with an army of clones so he knew very little of battle between villages. However, even he found it strange that they had managed to work around the caged bird seal somehow.

Back in the arena Tai finally stopped spinning, a smirk in place on her face. She had been struggling with that technique for a while now and she could honestly say she was pleased with the fact that she had managed to pull it off.

Her satisfaction was short lived though as Niou decended towards her with sword in hand. She dodged to the side and rolled once on the ground before she was back at her feet. As she faced in Niou's direction, she noticed the bandages he had tightly wrapped around his damaged wrist.

' _Smart, that bandage seems strong and it allows him to use both hands.'_ She thought as she eyed the two swords in both his hands. These two seemed different somehow. They radiated power and chakra surged through them like they were alive.

"I would suggest giving up now." Niou said, twirling the sword in his left hand. "Why is that?" She responded with a cocked eyebrow. Niou looked her in the eyes and she could immediately notice the confidence in them. "Because you won't stand a chance."

Just as he finished speaking the swords erupted into flames. The power in the fire was so strong that Tai had to shield her eyes. She watched in fascination as the flames circled around his arms before they shot off in thick streams behind him.

It was quite intimidating, Tai had to admit. However, she had never been one to back down from a challenge. A grin crossed her face as she fell down back into her aggressive pose. "Do your worst."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Tsunade-sama…" The Hokage turned her head when she heard whispering from her guard. "What is it?" She hissed back, keeping an eye on the other kage to make sure they weren't listening inn.

"There is someone here to see you. They said it was important, something about a root?" Tsunade's eyes widened a fraction of a second before they returned to their natural form. Quickly she stood and apologized to the other kage.

"I am truly sorry, but there is a matter that needs my attention." She said before she turned and walked off. Yamada didn't even need to make a motion to know his ANBU were already on the case.

Tsunade walked down from the kage booth and followed the messenger. She was led onwards until she was gestured to enter the medical bay. As she entered she noticed that the Suna girl was no longer there. The only one in the room was a masked figure.

"So Danzō sends his lapdog. What do you want?" She asked with venom lacing her words. She had quickly found out that Danzō was the one who was holding Shizune from her. It wasn't really hard to figure out when he one day stepped into her office without triggering the guards.

The masked man did not even acknowledge Tsunade's presence. "After the exams, when you and the other kage have left, there will be a… incident taking place in kiri. A couple of bombs will go off and once you hear of it you will claim that Konoha was behind the attack."

"No!" Tsunade didn't even need to think about it. Her response came immediately and was absolute. "Doing that will be considered a declaration of war and will destroy any and all chances we had of kiri coming to our side in the war." She said.

"Exactly." The masked man said. "Well I refuse." Tsunade said, her eyes as steeled as her expression. "Should I take that as a confirmation that you do not care for Shizune-san's life then?" Tsunade's expression immediately softened as worry entered her eyes.

A small screen in the back of the room lit up to show a video of a still very alive Shizune, laying on her back on a bed in a completely blank room. "She's still quite alive and we're treating her very nice for our standards." The masked man said, not taking his eyes off Tsunade.

"However, that will change should you not co-operate. She will be slowly tortured until she lays on the ground in a bloody heap barely alive. We will then drop her off in your office right in front of you. You will try to save her, but we will all know that you can't and you will have to watch as the life drains from another one of the people you loved."

"Enough!" Tsunade shouted, her eyes clenched shut and her hands balled into fists. "Fine… fine, I'll do it." The masked man nodded before he made his way towards the window, leaving the kage alone in the room.

Tsunade took a few moments to compose herself before she as well left the room. _'I can't lose her too… she's the last one remaining in my life. I have to do it.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

His ANBU had returned and informed Yamada that Tsunade had entered the medical room. Perhaps she had only wanted to check up on Choji. However, he then remembered that the boy had been sent back to the hotel which he found strange.

The girl from Suna had also been removed from the medical facility which meant that she entered a completely empty room. His brow furrowed in thought and he completely missed Tsunade's return.

None of them noticed the change in her posture.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tai was in a bad spot and she knew it. Niou was easily keeping her at a distance which worked very well to his advantage. He had set a lot of the grass on fire around the arena on both sides of the canyon and his sudden fire affinity was thriving in the environment.

She couldn't say that she had much reserve left in her and Niou seemed to barely spend any on the huge flames he conjured up. _'It's just a question of time before he hits me in one way or another. Not that he hasn't already.'_ She thought.

It was true too. She had more than a few burns on her body. It was leading to her quickly realizing she was outclassed in this match. Niou shot another flame towards her and she dodged to the right. She now stood with her back to the arena wall, chest heaving for air.

"Are you ready to give up?" Niou asked. The flames licking up his arms looked so much more intimidating now than when they had started the fight.

Tai was about to refuse, but the words got stuck in her throat as her eyes flickered up to the competitors booth. Her gaze was immediately glued to Akane's and her eyes widened slightly when she saw the concern in them.

The gray-haired woman was gripping the railing so tightly that her knuckles turned white and her eyes displayed such worry that Tai almost didn't believe it. It didn't take her long to realize that it was the exact same way she had reacted when Akane had been in trouble in her match…

… Only the difference was that Tai had no way out of hers. She imagined the pain of losing Akane and she could barely stand it. How would Akane then react if she died?

With a sigh, the purple-haired kunoichi conceded with defeat. Haku declared Niou the winner and Tai were brought off the arena floor and into the medical clinic. They didn't get a long break before the second round was announced.

However, there would first be a twenty minute break. Akane used this break to make her way down into the medical clinic. She almost broke down the door on her way in and immediately made her way to Tai's bed.

"Thank kami you're alright." She said as she hugged the woman close. Tai winced slightly when Akane pressed against one of her bandages, but was otherwise unaffected. She made a quick sweep of the room to make sure they were alone.

Once she was sure, she pulled back from the hug and pulled the other woman into a deep kiss. Akane certainly didn't protest as she wrapped her arms tighter around Tai's neck.

Once they parted they kept their eye contact. "Thank you for quitting the fight. I don't know what I would've done if…" She trailed off as her thoughts went to dark places. "I would do it a hundred times over if it was for you." Tai responded before kissing the kunoichi again.

"Now go, you're still in the competition after all." Akane grinned slightly before she pulled back and left the room.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"So Hokage-dono, what was that little disappearing act about?" The Tsuchikage asked with a neutral expression. For a moment, Tsunade had considered to pull Yamada off to the side and tell him everything from Danzō keeping Shizune as a hostage to how he was using the black-haired woman to control her.

However, she knew that Danzō's agents would find out and Shizune would be executed immediately. She couldn't risk that, no matter what the cost.

"It was merely one of my shinobi who required my attention." Tsunade replied calmly. "But surely it must have been important if it pulled you away from judging the match?" The Tsuchikage continued to probe her.

"Speaking of the match, should we not discuss it?" Tsunade asked changing the subject. Yamada narrowed his eyes at her. It was almost too obvious that she was not comfortable of speaking of the subject and that made him even more suspicious.

He had already had someone search the entire medical clinic and all they came back completely empty-handed. That left only two options. She had either lost her mind, it was a possibility, or she had been meeting someone. Yamada was actually hoping for the first option.

"What do you think Mizukage-dono?" Yamada snapped out of his thoughts when his title was mentioned. "The match Mizukage-sama." His bodyguard whispered and he sent Haru a thankful look.

"Well, I think both shinobi displayed excellent abilities. Although, Tai-san seemed a little dependent on her close range fighting style. That being said, I also saw several flaws in Niou-san's fighting style, but to someone untrained with the sword it's unnoticeable." He concluded quickly.

"His display was impressive none the less and from the way he wielded the swords I assume he was trained by you." Gaara said. "You would be right in that assumption Kazekage-sama. That boy is a prodigy and it shows." Yamada said, a proud smile forming on his face.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Haya fumed quietly as she watched Niou interact with his female teammate. _'He dares to wield kaa-chan and tou-san's swords just like that. The fucking arrogance…'_ She seethed as her hands tightened on the blade in her hand.

' _It would be so easy to just… just end him right now…'_ She thought as she aimed the blade in his direction before letting it drop down. _'But I'm not going to… at least not yet.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hinata stopped outside the medical room and hesitated. She knew the Iwa girl was in there, but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to ask. She didn't want to know the truth, but she felt like she had to.

She reached for the door one more time, hesitated for a moment, and then opened it and walked inn. Tai was resting calmly on her back, eyes closed like she was sleeping, but Hinata knew she wasn't. The one year older woman had tensed when the door had opened.

"You're here to ask about my eyes." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Hinata only nodded soundlessly. She knew the girl could see her even if her eyes were closed.

"It was a bad day for me the day I got these eyes. It wasn't that long ago actually in a fight a few years back against Konoha. Suna had just come to their aid and it was pushing us back. I was surrounded by shinobi from both villages and most of them attacked." She paused as she struggled with her words.

"My right eye was cut by a sword and I fell backwards. As I landed a kunai had been flung towards my head, but I moved and it just about grazed my left eye. It was enough to render both eyes useless.

If only my reinforcements would have arrived a moment sooner I would have at least kept one of my eyes. However, they came too late and by the time they had driven the enemy back it was already way too late for my eyes." She hesitated before she continued.

"They started talking about transplanting my eyes with one of the corpses on the battlefield when they heard a grunt. A small girl with Byakugan and no mark on her forehead was trying to crawl away. She was gravely wounded.

They… they killed her and transplanted her eyes into me. When I was able to see again I looked upon the girl." Tai finally opened her eyes and made eye contact with Hinata. "She looked a lot like you… I'm sorry."

The tears had been rolling for a while as the final realization hit Hinata. Hanabi had been killed on the battlefield. As the fact slowly sank in, the tears increased.

She quickly made her way out of the room. She didn't care where she was going; she just needed to get away. She bumped into someone and quickly tried to move around them, but the person grabbed her shoulders.

"Hinata-chan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Naruto asked worriedly. "H-Hanabi… she… she is…" Hinata didn't manage to finish as another sob broke through her.

Naruto's eyes flashed with realization as he quickly made his way towards the arena exit. The two quickly made their way to their hotel where they stayed for the remainder of the day.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"The exams will now continue!" Haku announced from the arena floor. "The first match of the semi-finals will now be decided!" The billboard had already started rotating through the few names that still existed.

It didn't take long before it stopped spinning and the two contestants made their way into the arena. Akane eyed Akio with an intense look. The man looked rather intimidating with the shark sword strapped to his back, but she felt confident in the fact that she could beat him.

The grin on his face hadn't lessened even when he heard he had to fight an ally. He knew of the secret agreement the two villages had entered before the exams. There was to be no killing or career ending injuries dealt to allied shinobi.

This made Akane exhale in relief slightly, but she was still determined to do her best to beat him. To avoid the chance of dealing such injuries or killing blows it meant that she wouldn't be able to use most of her jutsu arsenal and that would be a problem. The same would actually be said for Akio who couldn't even use his sword either.

However, they had to make it look convincing that they were giving it their all. Haku looked to both of them and she didn't even need to ask before they nodded. She raised her arm, and then quickly made it descend.

Akane smirked as a plan formed in her head. _'I can't use lethal jutsus, but I can use golems in a… less aggressive manner.'_ She thought as she quickly did the handseals. "Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu!"

This time not one, but two golems rose from the ground. These two were a little smaller than the one she had used the day before, but they still towered over Akio. Said boy never lost his grin as he flexed his muscles. "You think your golems can beat me?"

"I think the real question is can you take on my golems?" She only got a grin in response and she couldn't help but to return it. He then engaged the two colossal golems in battle while Akane was planning on how to take him down without killing him.

The battle didn't last incredibly long. In fact it barely lasted ten minutes. The two almost just sparred throughout the entire ordeal. Only when things got too intense did Akio forfeit claiming that his lightning would not have much effect on her Doton jutsus.

Yamada found the result slightly disappointing and at the same time intriguing. It wasn't obvious that they were trying not to hurt each other, but it was visible to the trained eye. Why they were so friendly with each other he had no idea. He supposed it had to do with their alliance in the war, but there was no way to be certain.

The next match was soon decided and the intrigue grew in the stadium when they saw what it read. Sanako eyed down the red-haired sword-wielder as her hand tightened on her bow. The two were specialists in two fields that contradicted each other.

While Karui was specialized in close combat, Sanako was specialized in ranged combat. However, she did have training in close combat as well which she had proven earlier. She would still be trying to keep her distance although she doubted she would be able to.

"Are both contestants ready?" Both responded positively and a moment later the fight started. Sanako instantly started running in the opposite direction of the redhead as she started firing arrows behind herself. Karui, being the swordswoman that she was, started deflecting the shots while running after the orange haired girl.

It wasn't long until they reached the wall, but instead of stopping, Sanako ran up and flipped over the redhead. Karui managed to swipe upwards at her and if one looked closely than one would see that she just managed to cut off some of Sanako's hair.

Mid-air Sanako flipped so that she was oriented towards the redhead. She quickly fired off an arrow before she hit the ground, using her momentum to roll before quickly spinning to face Karui.

The redhead quickly realized that there was an explosive tag attached to the arrow and ran off in another direction. Sanako kept firing arrows after her as she stopped running. Since Karui was at a safe distance it now meant she could catch her breath.

Annoyingly Karui kept dodging or deflecting her arrows. Instead of keeping up the constant fire she decided to try something new. She pulled out one of the few special arrows she had brought with her and aimed it slightly in front of the redhead.

She released the string and the arrow sailed through the air. It hit the ground just a few feet in front of the redhead, but instead of imbedding itself into the ground, the arrow separated into several smaller arrows that scattered over a large area.

Several of them hit Karui which distracted her long enough for Sanako to take action. Aiming another normal arrow she quickly released it. As the arrow sailed through the air Karui noticed where it was headed in the last moment and her eyes widened a fraction too late.

Moments later it imbedded itself in her leg, going straight through. A scream of pain ripped through her throat as she fell to the ground, clutching her leg.

"Proctor, call the match. She won't be getting back up after that." The orange haired girl said as she lowered her bow. Haku waited a moment to see if Karui actually would get up, but when she didn't she quickly called the match so that the redhead could get medical aid.

Samui was immediately down by the girl's side and followed the medic-nin inside. When one of them tried to protest she sent them a death glare that quickly shut them up.

Niou stared down at the field as it once again was his turn to enter the fray. The two matches had gone by so quickly that he had barely had time to prepare.

The Nara would for sure be a challenge. His intellect was really the biggest problem now that Niou was aware of his secret fire affinity, but that alone would also make things difficult. The Nara would easily be able to outthink him and that could be the match decider.

Niou wasn't about to let that happen though.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

Well, if you're located somewhere in Europe then the time difference won't be more than a couple of hours at most. If you're located somewhere else on this earth on the other hand, then it might be a bigger problem. However, I'm determined to see it through! I stay up all night on weekends anyways so that shouldn't be a problem.

Cathyscloud9

Glad to hear it!

Guest

I didn't receive an alert of any reviews from him so I was unaware that he had reviewed. In fact, his review doesn't show up at all on my story? Are you sure he left a review on the last chapter, because I can't seem to find it.

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru didn't really have a plan for his fight against the kiri boy mostly because he had been betting on not facing him. Those swords had to be a challenge and the added fire affinity wasn't much in his favor either. In fact, not even the water affinity was. And since there wasn't any shadows to use on the arena floor this meant that his shadows wouldn't be much use either.

All in all he didn't stand much of a chance. He knew this and was fully aware enough to act on this knowledge. Niou could probably counter most of his plans anyways.

Without even leaving the box for competitors, he raised his hand. "Proctor, I forfeit. I'm hilariously outmatched here." He said in a bored tone.

Niou was actually surprised by this and Shikamaru noticed. "What? You didn't think that I would actually bother when you also have a fire affinity and the one other affinity that is the best to use against said affinity? And you're aware of my shadow jutsus. I wouldn't get very far to be honest."

Niou seemed to acknowledge that answer because the surprised look disappeared from his face. He gave a brief nod at Shikamaru before turning back to the arena. Unknown to the Nara, his brainpower had just earned him Niou's respect.

"Final match of the semi-finals ends in a victory to Usami Niou of Kirigakure no Sato!" Haku announced. "We will now move onto the finals. Will Inukai Akane, Usami Niou and Fūma Sanako please enter the arena!"

The three entered dutifully and all stood in a giant triangle facing each other. Haku stepped in the middle of all three and took a long hard look on each one of them.

Niou seemed calm although a little tense. Sanako's lips were slightly turned upwards, but other than that her expression was unchanged. Akane seemed nervous and she had good reason to be. Haku had seen both Sanako and Niou at their best and it was nothing to simply brush off. Niou was indeed a prodigy and Sanako wasn't far from being one either.

"The finale battle of the jonin exam begins… now!" As Haku jumped away Niou and Sanako both turned in Akane's direction. Without even waiting for a moment Niou pulled out both swords and charged forward while Sanako put an arrow on the string of her bow.

Akane quickly realized that both of them had decided to team up against her and she had to say she didn't quite like her odds. The fact hadn't been that surprising considering the fact that they were from the same village. It still annoyed her though because it meant she had to take them both on. At the same time she was extremely nervous although she refused to admit it.

As Niou approached he swung his sword towards her sending a torrent of flames in her direction. "Doton: Doryūheki!" The wall rose just to block the flames, however, Niou came around on the side, forcing her out on the other side.

Just as she appeared outside the protection of her wall an arrow whistled just past her. Her eyes widened as a small trickle of blood escaped from the small cut on the tip of her nose. If that was planned or not it worked in one way, Akane was very intimidated.

She didn't have time to ponder however, as a sword once again decended towards her. She jumped to the right just as an arrow imbedded itself into the ground where she landed. She managed to scramble away just as the arrow exploded.

The dust was kicked up and covered the arena. Just when it settled the two kiri shinobi noticed that the Iwa-nin was nowhere to be seen. They both knew of this trick as they both made their way towards a wall each, running up it and waiting patiently.

It didn't take long for the crust of the earth to move, but it wasn't Akane that appeared. Instead a golem poked its head through the surface as another one appeared just a few meters away.

The two golems quickly started making their way to a target each who was both still sitting on the walls. Sanako narrowed her eyes as she aimed an arrow at the golem coming in her direction.

However, just as she was about to release the string a kunai cut into her arm imbedding itself in the wall behind her. It was enough of a distraction and the arrow strayed off course.

It hit the ground in between the two golems as Sanako clutched her arm. The kunai hadn't dug in deep, but it would be a nuisance every time she pulled back her arm to fire. Her eyes once again narrowed, but this time at the girl who was staring back at her smugly.

Niou was another situation. He was having an easier time since Akane's attention was on Sanako. It was logical too, taking out the ranged fighter so that it would be easier to combat the close range fighter.

However, he needed Sanako to finish the older woman off. He was a prodigy, but experience beat that any day of the week. That was why he needed to finish the golem quickly.

Now fire wasn't really the best thing to use against Doton jutsu, but neither was Suiton. However, out of the two Suiton had the most effect. However, since there was no water sources nearby it meant he would have to use a lot of chakra to get enough.

With that in mind he placed his swords back into the sheathes and started running down the wall. As he reached the end the golem started reaching out for him, but it was simply too slow.

"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" Just as he was about to be grabbed he exhaled a huge amount of water from his mouth. The amount was so immense that the golem couldn't handle it and it was washed away.

Niou didn't stop at that though and watched as the water covered the entire arena floor in a huge tidal wave. Akane seemed to notice in time and managed to disappear underground again and Sanako was sitting far enough up on the wall that the water just missed her.

When everything finally calmed down the entire arena floor was covered in water. It reached just about up to their ankles which was a lot of water considering how big the arena was.

Akane once again appeared from underneath the ground, now covered in mud, and she did look like she had spent an awful amount of chakra. Niou had as well, but he hid it better.

Akane glanced towards where her golems now were, both lying in heaps on the ground. It was obvious that neither of them would be getting up. She then glanced at her opposition.

She knew Niou had used a considerable amount of chakra considering the water around them so either he was hiding it well or he had really immense reserves. Sanako on the other hand hadn't spent that much chakra at all and was almost fresh except for the cut.

Akane herself had also used an enormous amount of chakra. Those golems took a lot out of her and she had made them hoping it would be the winning blow, but apparently Niou had some immense water jutsus. She had one last trick up her sleeve though and she honestly hoped it worked. If not she would have to surrender and accept third place which she really didn't want to.

That's why, when she acted, the two others resumed their tactics. However, they changed it up making Akane hesitate. Sanako now put her bow away and pulled out her two Sai knives while Niou hung back and watched from afar.

It was certainly different and now she was at a blank again. She didn't know what tactic they were now using and it frustrated her. She just lost her advantage because the two others had probably worked together several times before.

As Sanako neared Akane realized her jutsu wouldn't do much good in close range. She broke off the build-up of chakra and instead pulled out a kunai to defend herself with. She barely managed to catch the smirk on Sanako's face before she was engaged in close combat.

She was impressed with how Sanako handled the blades, quickly spinning them and using her knowledge to her advantage. Unfortunately for Sanako, Akane had fought against someone who used similar weapons before.

As Sanako went for a swipe, Akane slid her kunai in and got it stuck between the blade and one of the curved prongs. She then brought up another kunai and wrestled it into place on the other side before twisting the weapon out of the girl's grasp.

Sanako's eyes widened and she jumped back as a kunai came descending towards her. That was the cue as Niou once again re-engaged while Sanako rushed back and pulled out her bow. _'Perfect…'_ Akane thought with a smirk. Exactly how she had planned it.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"She seems to be doing very well despite being outnumbered." Yamada said aloud. "Especially since she is being double-teamed. I don't know if any of the other participants that could go up against those two." The Tsuchikage added.

"Everything is allowed in war. You of all people should know that." The red-head kage sent a glare in Gaara's direction, but didn't deny the motion. Instead she sent her gaze back forward. "However, I'm afraid she won't last much longer. Of course, if she can pull something off then that will be quite a feat." Yamada said and the others couldn't help but agree.

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Tai had barely managed to make her way out before the final started. She kept telling the doctors that it was fine, but they were adamant on keeping her a little extra for observation. She had bitterly accepted to wait one extra hour.

Not though she honestly wished she had waited a lot longer. She had forgotten the agonizing feeling of watching Akane battle. This time it was even worse because she was being double-teamed. Her heart leapt into her throat every time something sharp decended towards the younger woman and she had to force herself into not closing her eyes.

However, when that small smirk appeared on her face, Tai seemed to ease her worry a little. Something about that confident look just seemed to help her in the situation.

Akane indeed was looking very confident as she dodged arrows and fire swords to the best of her ability. At the same time she tried amassing chakra as quickly as she could. It was really a game of patience for her and she knew she was going to win said game.

Finally after a long while it was time. She had amassed enough chakra now. As she dodged one final time, she did a flip and her heel hit the back of Niou's head, sending him off balance.

She knew that Sanako was about to send another arrow her way, but her plan would stop that from ever having an effect. As she finished her handseals the arrow had already been released. She looked up, made eye contact with Sanako and then mumbled the words to her jutsu.

"Doton: Dosekiryū." The large beast appeared not far from Sanako, swallowing up the arrow as it aimed towards the girl herself. Sanako had no way of dodging in time and thus was forced to take the dragon right on.

The dragon hit her with such force that she barely registered the pain that overtook her body. It was like her body just shut down until it all was over because when she finally became aware of her surroundings, she was sitting in a crater in the wall. She found herself unable to move her right arm and every time she tried, pain shot through her.

Niou was back on his feet and sent a glance Sanako's way. A brief flash of worry covered his features before they hardened again and he refocused on Akane. Said woman was breathing heavily and looked back at him warily.

"You shouldn't have done that." He stated as he straightened. Akane was about to retort, but hesitated. She knew she wasn't in any shape to continue. She had chakra left, but it wasn't much and although Niou seemed to have used a lot as well, she knew he would outlast her. She did not have the chakra for anything else, but keeping herself alive in the match and that wouldn't get her far.

She looked up at Tai and their eyes connected. There seemed to be a whole conversation going between them. Eventually Akane gave a small nod in that direction before she raised her hand. "I surrender. I'm in no shape to continue."

Niou was surprised and slightly annoyed that she had surrendered. Surprised because he expected more of a fight and annoyed that he couldn't hurt her more. However, he was glad for it all to be over.

"Inukai Akane has forfeited and Fūma Sanako is unable to continue. The winner is Usami Niou!" Haku announced which earned a roar of approval from the crowds. Niou was overwhelmed for a moment before he regained his composure and bowed to the audience. This made the cheers last for a while longer before they finally died down.

Yamada stood from his seat and walked up to the edge to talk. "It seems that we have reached the end of the jonin exams. I want to thank every participant for participating and I want to congratulate Usami Niou for his well-deserved victory. I also want to thank my fellow kage for sending their shinobi to participate!" He paused for a moment to let the words sink inn before he continued.

"You will all be heading your separate ways now that the exams are over, but I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves because… if my fairs are to be believed, there will be a long time to the next time we will all be gathered in one place." He left it at that, letting everyone catch on that war was inevitable.

The cheerful atmosphere in the arena turned eerily quiet as people started filtering out. Yamada turned back to the four kage. "I'll make sure all four of you and your surviving shinobi get a head start on the way home. I'm sure all four of you have things to do… gather at the gates with your shinobi and I'll meet you there."

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Yamada's cheery personality was gone when he met with the kage. His face was void of emotion as he gave them all a hard stare. He then did a few quick handseals and moments later they were all standing in the northern part of Yu no Kuni.

"Some of my shinobi will escort you until you're outside our borders. I expect no trouble from any of you." Yamada said, not even caring that some of them looked slightly sick after the quick travel. He took a few steps away before stopping and looking over his shoulder.

"Soon the mist will whisper the names of her enemies." He said before he disappeared from sight. All of them knew what that meant; soon Kiri would pick a side.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Are the agents in position?" One cloaked individual asked. "Affirmative, we're waiting for the targets to leave their house as we speak." One of the other agents responded.

"Good… if everything goes as planned… kiri should already be at war before evening…"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsunade still hadn't heard from her agent and it worried her. Something she had been keeping tightly under wraps was that one of her agents had found something that could have been Danzō's hideout a few days before the exams.

She had immediately sent someone to try and go undercover. They were tasked with getting Shizune out one way or another; however, she had yet to hear from said person.

That could mean multiple things. Either they had been caught and Danzō had another hostage or they hadn't had the chance to report to her. Still, time was running out for her now. If she didn't hear from her agent soon then she would have to abide to Danzō's plan.

The thought of basically offering the village for invasion was… repulsive. However, she would do it if it meant saving Shizune. She just couldn't take losing someone else. She just couldn't… She was willing to do anything so that she wouldn't lose anyone else.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As Tenten prepared for her and Yamada's night out she felt a giddy feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feeling she hadn't felt since the early days when she and Yamada were still in the early stages of their relationship.

Even before the exams it had been a long time since they had a proper date. They had focused so much on spending time with Kumiko that it had been completely forgotten.

She didn't realize this before that moment actually and it made her happy that Yamada had suggested it. As she finished her hair she smiled at her reflection. She had decided to leave her hear in one bun on the back of her head instead of two twin buns. She had let some of her hair down as bangs framing her face. It was a new look she had decided to try for once and she was pleased personally.

It wasn't long before she decended the stairs to meet Yamada in the living room. "So how do I look?" She asked, announcing her presence. Yamada took one glance and a smirk built up on his face.

"Breathtaking as always." He said without a single hesitation. She smiled and gave him a brief kiss before they headed out. They had decided to let Kumiko just stay over with Yumi for the night. Since the girl was already at the blonde's place it made things that much easier.

As they walked through the streets, hand in hand, Tenten felt happy. For the first time in a week she felt genuinely happy. She was happy everything was well. She was happy Yamada had forgotten about the incident. She was happy that everything was back to normal.

They continued to walk down the street, Yamada leading the way. Apparently he seemed to have planned everything out perfectly as he urgently pulled her along.

They walked until a cloaked individual stepped out from an alleyway in front of them. Yamada stopped raising a questioning eyebrow as Tenten stopped beside him. "Can I help you?" He asked as his arm circled Tenten protectively.

The man made eye contact with Yamada. "For Konoha…" Yamada's eyes widened a fraction too late. Moments later an explosion rocked the streets of Kirigakure as both Tenten and Yamada were flung backwards.

Yamada wasn't sure what happened next. He only remembered that his back connected with something hard and then he lost vision for a moment. When he regained it the streets were filled with panicked people rushing too and form. Shinobi were standing around trying to calm the masses, but no had no success so far.

His eyes then zeroed in on Tenten. She was unconscious, lying a few meters away from him. However, that was not what caught his attention.

Something was forming beneath her body. It was a thick red liquid. _'Blood?!'_ Yamada thought as he battled to his feet and approached the brunette. Indeed, it was a puddle of blood forming beneath her.

Just as he was about to pick her up, another explosion rocked the village. This one had originated from the clan district which made Yamada's blood run cold.

He picked up Tenten and immediately teleported to the hospital. "Someone get me a medical bed! She's unconscious, but alive and I need your best doctors right fucking now!" He shouted.

A medical bed was rushed out and Yamada gently placed Tenten down. "What happened?" One of the nurses asked. "Explosion in the main street. I need several emergency teams to move out immediately. There was also another explosion in the clan district. I'll be checking that out myself." He said.

"But Mizukage-sama, we need to make sure you're ok!" A doctor called after him. Yamada turned to the doctor with a glare. "Your only priority is her. If I come back here and you tell me she didn't make it then I'll make sure you'll regret it." Then, without any more words, Yamada disappeared in a flash.

His worries were confirmed when he arrived back at the compound. Yumi's house was in flamed; several parts of the structure were strewn about because of the explosion.

Yamada immediately set to work in clearing the area. His heart raced a mile a minute as he feared what had happened to Yumi and Kumiko. He removed debris, extinguished fires and removed heavy objects as quickly as he could.

Then he heard it. It was a small sound, but he just caught it. It was a voice, or at least a whisper of a voice. It sounded very strained and urgent.

Yamada immediately made his way to where he heard it and started digging. As he lifted one particularly heavy log he could finally breathe out in relief.

Yumi was half way lying on top of Kumiko, shielding her from as much as she could while she herself had taken the brunt of the explosion which was obvious. The blonde looked up at him with a tired smile.

Yamada was immediately alarmed when Kumiko's eyes were closed. "She's just unconscious. She hit her head, but otherwise its fine." Yamada was flooded with relief once again as he held them both close.

It wasn't long before emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Kumiko and Yumi were brought back to the hospital. For the brunette it was only to check that everything was ok, but Yumi was an entirely different story.

Almost her entire back was covered in burns and many of them were severe. She had a few broken bones, but none of them too bad. What really was bad was that her scalp was burned. Half of her hair was missing and in its place were some really ugly burns that seemed worse than the ones on her back.

However, Yamada needed to focus. He couldn't worry when he had a village to see to. "Status report!" He barked to one of the shinobi standing nearby.

"Several buildings were damaged in the first explosion and several people hurt. The second one was in a less populated area, but as you know there were two casualties. It was obvious that you and your family was the target."

"Is there any remnants of the attackers' bodies?" Yamada asked. "We're still looking, but so far nothing." Yamada nodded. "Bring anything you find directly to me." The shinobi saluted before running off.

Yamada quickly blinked to the hospital where he was met whit a giant chaos. Nurses and doctors were rushing everywhere with and without medical beds being pushed along. He quickly maneuvered himself in the direction where he felt Tenten's chakra.

As he entered a less crowded area he saw the doctor from earlier. "How is she?" He asked quickly. He tried to hide the concern from his face, but it wasn't easy considering the fact that his only child and girlfriend were in medical care.

Surprisingly she's quite fine. Her body wasn't seriously damaged in any way what so ever." The doctor responded, sounding somewhat hesitant. "Then where did all that blood come from? I know what I saw doctor." Yamada said, frowning slightly.

"That's what I was coming too… you might want to take a seat for this." Yamada raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather stand." He said. Instead of commenting, the doctor started explaining.

"Very well, it seems that on impact with the wall… the fetus in her womb did not make it through I'm afraid." Yamada's expression darkened at that. "Could you please repeat that doc? I think I heard you wrong. You said a fetus, as in a child?"

"Well yes… were you not aware of her pregnancy?" Yamada didn't answer. Instead he just turned around and walked back down the corridor he came. The fury that was slowly building up within him made it hard to think rationally.

' _Perhaps I'm taking this in the wrong way. Perhaps she wasn't aware of it herself.'_ He thought, but it did little to ease the anger. _"Hah, didn't I tell you! She's been going behind your back all this time, but you were to naïve to listen to me! You thought she would never do such a thing yet here we are."_

Yamada flinched at the voice within his head; however he couldn't deny it this time. _"She was probably well aware of her pregnancy and she was probably willing to keep it a secret from you. She probably loved the one she had the affair with more than she did you. Face it boy, I was right all along!"_

Yamada pursed his lips and continued his walk as his heart broke piece by piece for every word.

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"Taichou, we found this in our search." Haku looked up, hunter-nin mask in place and looked at her subordinates. Ever since the attack she had personally dedicated resources to make sure to dig up as much on the culprits as possible.

Recently their identities had been confirmed as two citizens of Hi no Kuni. What was even more disturbing was that they were registered as citizens of Konohagakure. If the damaged hitai ate found on the scene of the crime was anything to go by, then they had been shinobi as well.

"What did you find?" She asked as a scroll was placed on her desk. "This was found in the hotel room the two culprits used during their stay. The contents are… confirming our suspicions taichou." Haku quickly picked up the scroll and read through it.

 _You are hereby ordered to perform an assassination attempt on orders of the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato._

 _You are to infiltrate the village and get to know anything that can be used to our advantage. The targets are Hayato Yamada, Hayato Kumiko and Tenten who is formerly a shinobi of Konoha. Details will be given in person when I personally arrive in Kirigakure._

 _Senju Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato_

Haku tried to look for any signs that the scroll was fake, but everything was there. The signature and the Hokage's stamp were proof enough. Haku sighed as she rolled up the scroll and dismissed her subordinates. It seemed that kiri's enemy had been decided for them.

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"What is it Haku?" The woman almost flinched behind her mask when she heard his tone of voice. Yamada sounded calm, but there was an undertone that said he was not in a good mood.

"We've discovered who sent the assailants Mizukage-sama." She responded. Yamada spun around, his eyes calculating, but holding back immense amounts of fury. Haku wordlessly placed the scroll on his desk and Yamada quickly snatched it up to read.

As he read through it his hands started to tremble with contained rage that was slowly breaking free. He slowly rolled the scroll up again and closed his eyes. "Send word to the border forces. Command them to amass on Hi no Kuni's borders. I want them all battle-ready within the next twenty-four hours."

Haru disappeared from his hiding place to quickly do as he was told. Yamada looked at Haku. "Write up a letter to the Kazekage. Tell him I hold no resentment towards his village and that it's not too late to change sides." Haku nodded once before walking out of the office calmly.

Yamada next called inn his secretary. "Inform the people that I'll be making a public announcement tomorrow morning at 0800 sharp. I'll be making the same announcement to the civilian population at 0900 sharp." The secretary nodded gravely as she turned and walked back out again.

Yamada turned to look out the window. In the setting sun the village was truly a beautiful sight. However that did not ease his mind in the slightest. However, he would protect what he saw before him as was his duty.

' _Besides… when everyone else betrays me it will be the only thing I have.'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"You called for us?" Suigetsu asked as he, Chōjūrō, Haku and Mei entered the room. "Yes, we'll be going to war soon and I have orders for each of you." Yamada said without a trace of emotion in his voice. "Mei, you will be going to and meet up with Masato Ishimaru in his village Ishigakure. You will lead our forces along with him and his forces into battle. I am awaiting answer from the Kazekage, but if his answer is what I fear then that is your target." Yamada informed as he handed the older woman a scroll.

"Suigetsu, you'll lead the frontlines from Yu no Kuni and into Hi no Kuni. Slaughter any Konoha shinobi that get in your way. However, when you get to the village itself, don't go in. besiege it and let me handle the rest." He said as he handed the swordsman his scroll.

"Now I need to speak with Haku and Chōjūrō alone." The two nodded before they both made their way out to prepare for the war. When they were left alone in the room Yamada looked from one to the other.

"You will both be carrying out secret missions for me. As Haku probably already knows, I've made up my mind on who to attack in this war, but that does not mean I trust our allied side at all. In fact I even trust them less than I trust our enemies. That is why you Haku will gather the hunter-nin division and go to Kumo while you Chōjūrō will gather the ANBU and go to Iwa.

Because of the war and their 'safe' standings I don't think they'll be worried about security in their own villages. There will surely be shinobi there, but there aren't going to be many of them. I want the two of you to wait outside the villages until the kage leave, wait a day or two and then invade the village silently."

"As you wish Mizukage-sama, but why such drastic measures?" Haku asked almost hesitantly. "I'm tired of all these wars springing out. I'm tired of petty rivalries around the world and I'm tired of all this fighting. If we do this right then that will no longer be an issue. I'll gather all the five great nations beneath one banner and hopefully that will put an end to the bloodshed."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Cathyscloud9

As always, I'm happy to write for you guys! Makes my day just to read your reviews every week.

Tsunade might have something up her sleeve… or she might not. We may never know until the time is right. ;)

Guest

Ah, well there are chapters he doesn't review although I don't really mind. He's free to review if he wants to or not.

 **AN:** So a lot is going down in this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

" _Everything is going exactly like I planned it."_ The mystical entity said. If it had a facial expression then a grin would have been stretched across its face. Finally Yamada had started listening to her.

Regrettably it did need some outside help, but those foolish humans had just played right into its hand. It couldn't have planned it out better itself. _"Soon… soon I will have my revenge and my freedom again."_

Further back in the darkest reaches of Yamada's mind Hasegawa was quietly listening to the entities words. His eyes narrowed and he once again strained against the chains, but to no avail. The entity was stronger than him by far and there was nothing he could do.

He had tried warning Yamada, but he hadn't gotten through. The entity had completely shut down any of his attempts at communication. He had a small glimmer of hope however. Yamada would hopefully see the entity's evil schemes before it was too late. However, he wasn't sure if that would be enough.

As he sighed his head hung low. _"Yamada… don't let her fool you…"_ He whispered to no one in particular.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada stopped in his fiddling when he heard a faint whisper. He couldn't make out who it was or what was said, but it had seemed very familiar. However, he knew there was no one else in the room.

The only other person in the room was lying on the medical bed, unconscious. He looked up to see Tenten's sleeping face. His hands tightened around the box with the ring in his hands.

He honestly wasn't sure what was more infuriating, that Tenten could have cheated or that Konoha dared to target him and his family. With a frustrated sigh his eyes turned back down as he again began to fiddle with the box in his grasp.

There was a gap of time before any other sound was heard. Tenten stirred slightly as her eyes slowly opened. She sat up in the bed, confusion written all over her features.

"Yamada? What the hell happened?" She asked as she rubbed her head. Yamada didn't answer, but he lifted his gaze. Tenten was slightly startled at the look in his eyes.

"Did you see someone behind my back Tenten?" Tenten was taken aback. "W-what?" She asked, her confusion only growing. "I'm pretty sure you heard me, but I'll repeat it for you. Did you cheat on me?" Yamada asked as he stood from his seat.

" _She's hesitating! She is obviously hiding something!"_ The voice called from within his head and Yamada listened. "W-what? No, of course not! Where are these accusations coming from?" Tenten asked.

"Then whose baby is it?" Tenten's eyes widened. "Because if it was mine then why the hell did I not know about it until yesterday when you've been pregnant for over a month!?"

Tenten fell speechless. Honestly, what was she supposed to say in such a situation? She had been caught red-handed in lying to him about her pregnancy and he did not find out on the best of terms at all. Now he was accusing her of cheating and she had no way of disproving it.

Yamada expected an answer, but he wasn't too surprised by the shocked silence that greeted him instead. That only helped to infuriate him even more, however, before he did anything drastic he decided that it was best to turn and leave.

Only then did Tenten seem to snap out of her shock. "Yamada wait!" Yamada didn't even react in the slightest and instead left the room completely.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

There were curious whispers as the civilian population gathered at the north gate of the inner circle. Yamada was standing up on the wall, looking down at the population with a neutral expression.

The announcement to the shinobi population had not taken long time and was much less official than this was going to be. The first announcement had just been a sort of war meeting where he distributed resources to where they needed to go. This announcement on the other hand would be the declaration of which side kiri was to take.

"It's time, Mizukage-sama." Yamada nodded at the shinobi before he stepped forward. The whispering quieted down as he came into their view and the civilians paid their undying attention.

"People of Kirigakure, I regret to inform you all that as of today our proud village and nation is at war!" The whispering started up again, but did not rise to the volumes as before. This allowed Yamada to continue.

"As I am sure many of you have heard of already, yesterday there were two explosions that went off in the inner circle. Both were targeting me or my family. After further investigation we came to the conclusion that Konoha was behind the attack.

This act of terrorism will not pass by lightly, which is why we have now declared war. As I speak our forces are already moving into enemy territory and expanding our own. However, I have not forgotten my promise to you all. As I said on my initiation as Mizukage, the war will never reach the gates of Kirigakure. I thank you for your attention."

It was no grand speech, but it had to do. Yamada hadn't had a lot of time preparing things and he had a lot on his mind. He had other things to focus on like making Konoha pay.

He turned to the commander of the kiri shinobi guard. "Prepare for martial law and set in a curfew. Those laws will stand throughout the war. I'm going to the front lines."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"They're growing nervous." Suigetsu couldn't argue with that. The Shinobi on both sides were growing antsy with the huge gathering of troops, Konoha more so since the troops were gathering closest to their borders.

He felt a grin grow on his face as he looked across the border, the only thing separating him from killing in the thousands. It would be so easy to just walk across it and start the massacre… but he wouldn't. Yamada had given strict orders to wait for his signal.

Normally he would have to had waited for all the troops to get into position, but thanks to Yamada's limitless chakra they were able to move everyone into position underneath the timespan of one day. No, he would wait, not only because he wanted to but because, unknown to many, he held high respect for Yamada. Despite his murderous and maniacal nature, Yamada had put a lot of faith in Suigetsu despite what others so often told him. He didn't show it, but Suigetsu had greatly appreciated that.

"We just received orders sir." Suigetsu's smirk widened as he drew his sword. "Let the attack begin."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Mei had gotten her orders and she was pleased with the tactical reasoning behind it. Suna had refused to leave Konoha's side stating that they did not abandon an ally once the alliance was created and were thus deemed an enemy of Kirigakure.

Her job was to lead the troops and fight a way along the border between the two bigger countries. Her task was then to secure the entire border to stop any re-enforcements from entering to help Konoha in the upcoming fight leaving them utterly alone. She and her forces would keep Suna at bay while the rest of the shinobi forces invaded Hi no Kuni and burned Konoha to the ground.

While she wasn't entirely for the idea of burning the entire village down, she didn't really see any reason to object against it either. She wasn't the Mizukage anymore and thus it was none of her concern anymore.

"Godaime-sama, the troops are ready to move out." Mei nodded as her signature smile appeared on her face. "Good, then let's win this war."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsunade sighed quietly as she arrived back at the village. She was feeling like someone had kicked her in the gut and she knew exactly why. Not more than a few meters away from the gate had she come across a corpse. It was none other than the agent she had sent for Danzō's potential base.

This spoke volumes to her. It said that Danzō had found out about her schemes and that he was clearly not pleased with her trying to go behind his back. But most of all it meant that she had no leverage to get out of her arrangement with the crazy old man.

As she walked through the gates she turned to Kakashi. "Barricade the walls; call back as many of our shinobi that you can and make sure everyone is battle-ready!" Kakashi tried to ask her why, but Tsunade didn't feel like responding. Instead she made her way to her office where she made her own final preparations.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yamada arrived at the southern border of Hi no Kuni to a gathering of his shinobi. They all saluted him when he arrived, but he paid them no mind. Instead his focus was entirely on the border that separated him and Konoha.

However, that would have to wait. Konoha was far from his first stop. No, his troops were ordered to go directly to Konoha while he was going alone to the capital.

He kept walking until he was standing directly at the border, all of his shinobi gathering behind him. The border guards from Konoha didn't know what happened before it was too late and they were all lying face down in a puddle of their own blood. "Move out!" Yamada shouted and his forces rushed into the lush forests of Hi no Kuni.

Yamada chose a different route as he zoned directly in on the capital.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Ah, Tenten-san how good to see your awake. How are things?" The doctor asked as he entered. "They could be better." Tenten muttered sadly. The doctor frowned and was about to speak, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'll check up on her. You have more pressing matters to attend to." Haku said. The doctor nodded dumbly as he walked out of the room. Haku turned to Tenten with a serious expression. "I don't know how much Yamada's told you, but a lot has happened the last two days."

"He didn't tell me anything." Tenten answered. "Well then I suppose it's up to me to explain it to you. I don't have much time though because I need to leave in a half an hour." Haku said calmly.

"As of this morning Kirigakure is at war with Konohagakure and Sunagakure." Tenten's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?" She asked.

"After the explosions thorough investigation was held. We found out… that both perpetrators were from Konoha. There was discovered an official letter from the Hokage which requested an assassination. I tried to look for any signs of it being a hoax, but it was all there, even the Hokage's stamp."

' _This can't be fucking real…'_ Tenten thought as she shook her head and looked down into her lap. _'Tsunade would never- wait… explosions? As in more than one?'_

"There were two explosions?" She asked. "That's the worst part. There were indeed two explosions. The first one was with you and Yamada and… the second one was at Yumi-san's house." Tenten immediately felt alarmed.

"Is she alright? Is Kumiko alright?" She asked frantically. "Kumiko is fine, she only suffered minor injuries. Yumi on the other hand wasn't so lucky…" That settled it for Tenten.

"Where are you going?" Haku asked. "I'm going to check on the both of them!" Tenten responded as she tried to force herself out of bed. Haku had other things in mind as she quickly pushed the girl back into the bed.

"Before you do anything there is one thing more you should know…" Haku hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if she was the right person to give her these news, but Yamada was not in his right mind at the moment and Yumi was not conscious. None the less, Tenten needed to know.

"What is it?" The brunette asked impatiently. "Tenten… I'm sorry, but I don't know how to say this." Haku said as she looked the girl in the eyes. "So I'm just going to say it straight. You… you had a miscarriage."

Tenten's eyes widened again, but this time in shock that soon turned into sadness. "No…" She whispered. "The force of the impact… killed the child." Haku said. "No…" Tenten chocked on a sob as the word escaped her for the second time.

"M-My child… no!" Denial was evident and Haku couldn't do much but watch as the young woman before her slowly took in this new information. Eventually though, she had to leave, but she made sure someone stayed to watch over the distraught mother.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

As he approached the fire capital, Yamada saw that the daimyo of Hi no Kuni had indeed taken his threat seriously. An entire army of non-shinobi was gathered on the road leading up to the capital.

He almost felt like laughing. Did the daimyo think that non-shinobi with spears and katanas could stop him. It would simply serve as a warm-up for him.

They seemed to finally have spotted him because they all started taking up formations. It was an impressive force indeed, but nothing Yamada couldn't deal with. He wasn't faced at all as he kept calmly strolling towards their ranks.

In the ranks of the army, one of the soldiers decided to speak up. "That is the guy that ended the fourth world war? He's barely twenty." He said. "Maybe that's why the daimyo is so concerned? Because he accomplished such a feat at a young age." Another one responded.

"Well it doesn't matter. He won't even make it past the arrows." The first one said with a confident smirk. Sure enough, not long after the sea of archers behind them took aim.

As the sea of arrows blocked out the light of the sun, Yamada lifted his head to look forward and one second later he was gone. The arrows hit the ground and the man blinked several times as if he was imagining things.

"Hey, where did he go?" He asked as he turned to face the other soldier. That was only to notice that the other man was not standing anymore, but lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

The solder stumbled away only to trip over another corpse. It didn't take him long to realize that he was, in fact, the only living person left. And far behind where the ranks of the army had ended was Yamada, still calmly walking towards the capital.

Angered and saddened by the loss of his army friends the man picked up his sword and charged after Yamada. As he drew close Yamada stopped walking and turned one blood red eye over his shoulder, looking the man straight in the eye.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you… or you might end up like the others." The soldier didn't even notice that he had stopped and a look of terror had overtaken his features. Not long after that he fainted.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was good to finally be back in the deserts of Sunagakure again. Rui had honestly missed it despite the scorching heat and the dry air. Kiri's climate had been nice and wet, but she only ever enjoyed Suna.

However, she wasn't allowed to enjoy herself for long because only a few hours after they had arrived back in Suna, all shinobi still remaining in the village had been called in for a meeting. She and Keizo had approached the Kazekage's tower together and arrived to find an already packed room of shinobi.

Despite the amount of shinobi that were out in the field, Suna still had over a few hundred shinobi left in Suna. It wasn't much comparing to the other villages, but it was enough to protect them considering that the climate was on their side.

"My fellow shinobi." The Kazekage spoke the moment he entered the room. "It is with deep regret that I say that Kirigakure is now at war with us." Murmurs spread around the shinobi, all of them questioning if they would survive the coming war. "This is why I have sent out an order to all of our troops that they are to return to Kaze no Kuni borders at once. There we will reform and I will personally lead the next battle."

This bit of news brought uproar from the crowds of shinobi. They all came with different protests, saying that it was not safe for him to leave the village. Gaara shut them all up with one simple hand gesture.

"I understand your concern and I appreciate it, however, if I don't do this then all hope is lost. As much faith as I put in my shinobi, I do not believe they can beat Hayato Yamada. As far as I know, I am the only one in the village that can stand a chance. Even then I don't know if I will be able to beat him."

That only seemed to raise their concerns, but Gaara would have none of it. "I need to protect my village and do tell me, isn't that my job?" the shinobi agreed reluctantly. "Then you should accept my decision. Now we will move out as soon as possible and remember we're the last line of defense."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Akane didn't know if she was supposed to count it as a blessing or a curse that kiri had gone against Konoha. On the good side it meant they would win the war and hopefully put an end to it immediately, but it also meant that their tyrant of a leader would remain in charge of the village.

She would have really liked that the woman had stepped down, but the chance of that was minimal at most. Perhaps joining the resistance would be the right choice when the war ended. However, she quickly dismissed that.

Her family would no doubt suffer from it as well as Tai. Well, Tai would probably join her with the resistance so maybe that would not have been a problem. However, she didn't even want to consider it at that moment. She just wanted to enjoy her promotion until she was forced back on duty again.

Her family had welcomed her back with relieved smiles and great hugs. Her father in particular hugged her extremely tight, mostly because he knew how though the life of a jonin was.

It was a peaceful moment that she and her family shared. Tai had even been invited for the reunion which she reluctantly agreed to. However, as peaceful as the moment had been, Akane knew that it wasn't long before that small peace was long gone.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The daimyo of Hi no Kuni was sweating bullets as he looked at the doors of his palace. He knew Yamada wasn't far off and he was terrified. Just moments ago he received word from palace guards that the army had been decimated something he had kind of expected, but it still brought his inevitable doom even closer.

He jumped fifteen meters into the air when he palace doors were slammed open. His personal five guards rushed out and formed a protective line in front of him. They didn't stand a chance.

Moments after they took up their positions they collapsed to the ground, blood spewing from their cut throats. The daimyo was shaking like a leaf as Yamada stood over him.

The forty year old man fell to his knees and begged for his life. Yamada was not impressed. _"Kill him. Just do it and get it over with."_ The voice within his head coaxed him on. He didn't even hesitate.

As the daimyo's head fell to the floor, the palace went up in flames. The people of the capital watched in horror as their once proud capital had been reduced to a trembling mess by the hands of one mere man.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The first day of the campaign had been a success. Suigetsu had gotten to kill several people and they were already far within the borders of Hi no Kuni.

Throughout all of the slaughter he had managed to steer his platoon like Yamada had wanted. He had made a circle around Konohagakure towards the south side. That was how far they had come before night fell and they had to set up camp.

Yamada was supposed to meet up with them sometime through the night and Suigetsu wanted to be present when he arrived. So as he sat there sharpening his sword under the moonlight he could only think of all the people he would be murdering in the coming days.

That was when Yamada arrived in a flash. From the looks of things it seemed that Yamada had been having his own share of fun. He was very much covered in blood, not completely, but enough so that it showed clearly.

"Where are we located?" He asked. "Just south of Konoha just like you asked." Suigetsu responded as he refocused on his sword. Yamada nodded before he also took a seat close to the fire. He briefly noticed that the other shinobi were setting up camp around said fire.

"So what did you kill to get so bloody?" Suigetsu asked. "Decimated an entire army. The daimyo didn't take any chances when he found out I was coming." Off course, Yamada hadn't told anyone that he had sent a letter to the daimyo beforehand.

Suigetsu's grin widened. "So I assume you got the bastard." Yamada nodded. "Did he beg for his life?" Yamada nodded again. "Like the coward that he was."

"And you killed him anyways? I'm so proud Yamada. I never thought you could be so cold-blooded." Suigetsu said with a laugh. "War times require desperate actions." At least that was what he told himself.

Suigetsu decided to not continue the conversation any further. Instead he retired to his tent to sleep for the night. Yamada didn't however and instead stayed up the entire night.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsunade was honestly surprised she hadn't drowned herself in sake yet. It was the perfect moment after all. Konoha, the village her grandfather had sacrificed his life for was on the brink of destruction, kiri, Iwa and Kumo was all closing inn on the village and her own life was likely to end soon. If she had chosen any time to drink, then this would be the time.

However, she didn't. Instead she was preparing to fight. Even if it was hopeless she was still preparing. Why she didn't know and honestly she didn't think she would ever understand.

Perhaps it was that small hope of seeing Shizune again or maybe it was the fact that her grandfather had founded the village. Whatever it was, it kept her going.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the door to her office open. Looking up she came to see Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai and several other shinobi she had come to know.

"What is it?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "Tsunade-sama." Kakashi spoke up clearly. "We know you think that you have to face Yamada alone, but we're here to tell you that its bullshit."

"We also want to fight for our home. I will show our enemy the power of Konoha's youth!" Gai shouted. "I have a daughter to protect and even if I didn't I still want to pitch in. I may not be able to do much against someone like Yamada, but I'll help in any way I can." Kurenai added.

The others gathered started stating their agreements as well and for each one Tsunade felt the pride in her village grow. When they had all finished and looked at her expectantly she smiled. "Truly the will of fire burns brightly in all of you." She stated.

"We will probably lose tomorrow, but at least this village will not go without a fight."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tenten had cried the day away and before she knew it, it was the next day. She didn't really want to get up. She wanted to stay in the medical bed and just stare into empty space for the rest of the day. However, she knew she couldn't.

She needed to find Yamada and make him understand that there had been a mistake. That she had only kept the secret because she didn't want to burden him with more stress. It was a long stretch because Yamada could be stubborn, oh so stubborn when he wanted to, but she had to try.

She also needed to stop him. Because of tsu… because of the Hokage he was now on a war path and his anger would affect thousands of innocents that lived in the hidden leaf. She couldn't let him do that.

So that was why she pushed her own grief aside and prepared herself for the worst. It had been a long time since she had worn her kunoichi gear last and she noticed that it wasn't quite as fitting as it had once been, but it would have to do.

As she exited her room she needed to make two final stops before she took haste towards Konoha. She walked down the halls until she reached the first room she wanted to reach. Quietly opening the door, she found Yumi sitting upright and reading a book.

She almost winced at the damages the girl had suffered, but managed to keep a smile on her face as the younger girl looked over in her direction. She saw relief on the blonde's face. "Thank kami you're alright Tenten. I feared the worst when Yamada visited."

"Why?" She couldn't help but to ask. That wasn't supposed to be the first words out of her mouth, but she couldn't help it. "When I mentioned you he grew quiet immediately and then stormed out. I thought you were dead."

Tenten looked down as the pain reappeared, but she forced it away. "He… he found out about the baby when I had a miscarriage." Yumi's eyes widened as she dropped the book.

"I'm so sorry… shit…" Yumi muttered. "No wonder he was so pissed." Tenten looked down again. "That wasn't the reason he was pissed. He thought I had… cheated on him since I hadn't told him."

Yumi groaned as her head hit the wall. "So it's my fault." She said. "What? No it isn't." Tenten said. "But I suggested that you kept it a secret so I take the blame." Tenten wanted to argue, but she didn't quite have the time.

"Well, anyways, I need to go after him. He is on a war path right now and probably out for blood from Konoha. I need to stop him before he hurt innocent people. You know how overprotective he can be."

Yumi nodded. "Oh, I know alright." She said as she removed the blanket. "What are you doing? You need rest." Yumi shook her head. "No, I'm coming with you."

"The hell you are!" Tenten responded loudly making Yumi stop. "You've been through enough as it is. You need to heal." Tenten's voice softened as she spoke. Yumi sighed, but sat back down in the bed. "You know you really have that mother thing down." She said.

"I do my best. However, before I go I need to say one last thing." Before Yumi knew what was happening she was enveloped in a tight hug. "Thank you, for saving my daughter." Tenten whispered.

Yumi was shocked at first, but smiled when she heard the reasoning. "I'd do it again too if I had the chance. Now go and beat some sense into my brother." Tenten pulled back from the hug and moments later left the room after a quick goodbye.

The next stop she was going to make was on the next floor. She easily made her way there and peeked in. Kumiko was sleeping peacefully; the only sign of injury was a small bruise on her forehead.

Being as quiet as possible, Tenten walked up to the bed. With a fond smile she bent down and placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead. "I'm going to find tou-san… and then I'm going to fix things." She took a moment to stare at her beautiful daughter for a moment longer before she left through the window.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"You want to do what?" Suigetsu asked with eyes wide and jaw hanging. He did always say that it was fun to slaughter and that it was fun to aimlessly kill people, but what Yamada was suggesting was nuts even for him.

"You can't possibly think that you can take on the entire village of Konoha alone. There are like over a thousand shinobi left in the village and that is not counting the ones that fled from our advancing forces the other day." He added.

"I don't think I can take them on Suigetsu." Yamada said as he fastened his sword to his back. "I know I can take them on." Suigetsu still wasn't convinced through.

"Look Yamada, I get that you're angry for what happened. Heck, I'm pissed myself because Yumi was hurt, but going in alone will surely be suicide even for you." He said. All Yamada did was send him a smirk.

"I think you underestimate me."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Reviews

Immatx

I'm glad you think that. To be honest I was a little worried with how it was going to turn out or how you guys would react, but I can see now that I didn't have much to worry about. Thanks for the support!

Cathyscloud9

Girl, you have no idea how much I want to elaborate on your review, but I can't. Something about spoilers or something is hindering me. Do know that you will find out about the 'voice' later on. I can't guarantee anything else though.

Guest

That's the beauty of it isn't it? You weren't expecting her to be stronger yet she was… or maybe Tai was just unfortunate in the placements of the matches? Only time will tell.

 **AN:** Not particularly happy with this chapter. Only towards the end did it seem to turn out how I wanted it to, but I guess that it's mostly up to you guys to tell me how good it was. After all, I'm my own worst critic.

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

" **Summon or demon speaking"**

' _ **Summon or demon thinking'**_

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsunade looked out over the wide forest that surrounded Konoha. She had to memorize how everything looked because in mere moments everything would be turned into a bloodied battlefield no doubt.

She had sent out scouts the previous day and those that had returned said that Kiri forces had completely surrounded Konoha. Iwa and Kumo forces were also present, but funnily enough they were kept on a distance by the kiri people. Not that it mattered though, because kiri's forces would be more than enough to wipe out what they had left in the village.

She had yet to hear word of their advancement towards Konoha which she counted as a good sign. It meant they had yet to start their march. Unfortunately she knew it wouldn't last forever.

"All the civilians in the village have been escorted to safety Hokage-sama." Kakashi said as he walked up behind her, his little book nowhere to be seen. "Good… at least someone will keep the will of fire burning in the future." She mumbled in return.

Kakashi wanted to tell her that they wouldn't fall and that in the end of the day they would win, but even he knew that was a very small chance. Only a few people like Gai were completely confident in victory even if they were aware of the chances. While these people were refreshing they seemed to completely ignore the fact that they were massively outnumbered even without Kumo and Iwa joining in.

"Tsunade-sama, a single person is approaching the main gates. He has a Kirigakure hitai ate." Tsunade turned and kept her surprise hidden. She sent a questioning look Kakashi's way, who shrugged. "Maybe they want to try and negotiate?" He suggested.

' _With what the Mizukage things I did, I don't think so…'_ Tsunade thought but started making her way to the main gate.

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Yamada looked up at the gates of Konoha as he stopped. This had once been his home, but now it was harboring his biggest source of hate. The Hokage had yet to make her appearance, but Yamada knew she would show.

She wasn't a coward and she would face her enemies head-on. He saw the nervous looks several of the shinobi on the walls sent his way, but he couldn't seem to care. If they got in his way then he would end them. Nothing was stopping him from doing what he was planning.

Soon he saw new people emerging over the edge of the wall to look down at him. He smirked when he saw the platinum blonde hair of the Hokage. The look of shock on her face was satisfying, but not as satisfying as what he was about to do next.

With slow steps he started walking towards the village gates. "Is he crazy? Coming up to the village gates all by himself?" Tsunade muttered as she saw him approach.

"I wouldn't underestimate him Tsunade-sama." Tsunade looked over in time to see Kakashi pulling his hitai ate away from his concealed eye. "If he walks that confidently towards our gates then he has something planned."

Tsunade turned back. Indeed Yamada did look very confident, but also very pissed off and she internally sighed. This was all Danzō's fault yet it seemed she would be the one that had to pay for his actions. However, it meant saving Shizune and for that she was willing to do anything.

As she drew in a breath to speak she barely managed to react as Yamada in one quick motion, pulled his sword and did a vertical strike towards the gates. From the blade a wave of pure chakra emitted that moments later collided with the gates.

The old main gates groaned in protest before they exploded into wooden splinters. Several Konoha shinobi were killed by the mere impact of the chakra wave and even more were killed by the splinters that followed.

As the dust settled Yamada waited patiently. Eventually some of the debris where pushed out of the way to reveal Tsunade and Kakashi. Yamada smirked with a wicked glee.

" _Yes, yes, yes! Make them suffer for what they did to us!"_ The voice within his head shouted and Yamada found himself planning to do exactly that. With that he continued his slow walk towards the now destroyed gates.

Tsunade kept her eyes on Yamada as he neared. Her hundred healings seal had already been activated to save herself and Kakashi from the explosion which told her one thing. Yamada was not going to be holding back.

"Kakashi, I need you to find more help." She spoke silently. Kakashi who knew somewhat of Yamada's true strength, didn't even hesitate a moment and quickly took off to alert the rest of the village. Meanwhile Tsunade prepared herself to hold the young man back for as long as possible.

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"Why are they not attacking?" Rui asked. At the edge of the desert were the forces of kiri, Iwa and some from Kumo. They all gathered there, but did not move into the desert. The scouts that had been sent out had reported that they found several similar groups along the way and it only served to confuse the Suna Shinobi even more.

"They're blocking the way in case we try to aid Konoha." Temari responded as she approached. "They want to take care of the biggest threat first before they move onto us."

"What? But without them we won't be standing a fraction of a chance. We can't let stop us." Keizo said. Temari smirked at him. "Oh we won't. Gaara will see to that."

Back with kiri's forces Mei was alerted to movements in the desert. As her gaze moved over she felt herself smirk at the sudden development. "Send word to the rest of our forces to be on alert. It looks like the Kazekage came to play."

As the dessert started rising up into a giant wave, Mei felt the thrill of battle again for the first time in five years.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsunade cocked her fist back before sending her signature super-enhanced punch at Yamada. However, she found herself surprised and shocked when she found that her fist had been easily caught by the younger man's hand. Moments later she found a sword sticking through her stomach.

As Yamada pulled the sword out he waited patiently for the kage to regenerate the wound. "Come on Hokage. Is that your best?" He asked mockingly.

Tsunade did not let it get to her though as she instead focused on healing her wounds. Once that was finished she turned a hard stare up at Yamada.

' _There is no use in holding back here. If I do then I'm as good as dead. Might as well go all out.'_ With that thought in mind she started into a sprint. She ran towards the wall before jumping into the air, kicking off the wall and then bringing her foot down in a devastating axe kick.

Her foot connected and the ground almost exploded with the force behind the attack as a giant crater formed. As the dust settled she found that Yamada was no longer within the vicinity. Looking up, she found him standing at the edge of the crater looking largely unimpressed. If the man felt any anger, then he was concealing it well.

She was relieved when she saw Yamada just barely duck underneath a fist. It wasn't that he had dodged that made her feel relief, but the fact that back-up had arrived was the reason. Yamada looked over his shoulder and looked right into Kakashi's Sharingan.

The man didn't hesitate and tried another hit, only for Yamada to drive his elbow back into the man's chest. He then used the momentum to spin around and deliver a devastating punch to the man's jaw only for him to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Tsunade used the distraction to try and land a hit at his side, but Yamada predicted it. He grabbed her arm as she got close and used her moment against her by flinging her over his shoulder.

She landed not far from Kakashi and Yamada now realized the miniature army that had gathered behind them. He raised an eyebrow, realizing this was the remaining forces of Konoha.

" _You should kill them all. They're willing to stand in your way and must be punished for their mistakes!"_ The voice within his head called. "No!" Yamada said surprising both the shinobi in front of him and the voice.

"They haven't done anything to wrong me. You all have a chance of walking away right now. I only want your kage." He said calmly. For a moment, nothing happened. Then shakily a few shinobi stepped away from the Hokage and quickly bolted into the woods.

Tsunade could feel the betrayal growing within her as up to a few hundred decided to dessert on her, but she couldn't bring herself to care too much. She had way bigger things to deal with and one of these things were standing in front of her threateningly.

"I had hoped that more of them would see reason." Yamada said with a sigh. "We who remain harbor the will of fire, something you clearly do not understand." One shinobi shouted.

"Really? Then tell me, does the will of fire include assassination attempts on a girl that has barely passed her seventh birthday?" Tsunade's blood ran cold as several gasps of shock were heard throughout the crowd. All eyes turned to Tsunade as Yamada's voice rose.

"Your precious Hokage sent two shinobi to my village and both of them blew themselves up. One almost killed me and her former student the other was aimed at my sister and my only child!"

Tsunade looked down. She wanted to deny it so badly. She wanted to tell Yamada the truth and she wanted to say what Danzō was doing, but she was letting her own selfish desires take over. Shizune had to survive no matter what.

"It's true. I did send those shinobi and I don't regret it. I understand that after hearing this piece of news none of you will want to fight for me anymore, but this isn't a fight about me. It's about protecting the village that my grandfather founded. I am even willing to step down if we win this fight and exile myself forever if that's what you want."

Her declaration left many a Konoha shinobi with conflicting emotions. Many had looks of betrayal on their faces while glaring at their kage. This new revelation caused even more shinobi to leave her side. Several hundred disappeared into the forests, but she kept her expression unwavering.

"Again, I was hoping this would cause more to leave, but it seems much unneeded blood will be spilled today." Yamada said. "Anyways, let's even the odds out a bit." Just as he said that; Tsunade caught shadows moving out of the forest all around them.

Tsunade found herself losing much hope when she saw the spectacular army that wandered out of the forest. What made it even worse was that it wasn't even other kiri forces or forces from the two other villages either. They were all Yamada's clones and from the looks of things there had to be thousands of them.

"Now we can begin." Before they even could phantom what happened, the Yamada clones rushed them. Several Konoha shinobi didn't even get the chance to react before they were cut down where they stood before the clones moved onto their next target.

However, the Konoha-nin were quickly over their shock and immediately engaged the enemy in combat. Yamada stood back calmly as he watched the huge battle take place. The battling shinobi started slowly splitting up to get more space for their fights which were a great strategy; however, in this case it was not.

It just left room for the clones Yamada hadn't sent in to pick off distracted targets. _"Are you really going to let clones take your revenge?"_ The voice within his head asked _'Of course not, I'm only using them to thin out their ranks so that I won't have to waste time.'_ He replied smoothly which the voice seemed satisfied with.

The shinobi of Konoha fell one by one and Yamada wasn't the only one who noticed this. Through her own fighting, Tsunade had paid close attention to this as well and it angered her beyond belief. She quickly turned and scanned all the clones.

It wasn't hard to spot the real Yamada. She only had to look for the one who stood in the back, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the fighting with a calm expression.

As she had her target in sight, she punched the clone that tried to assault her on the left, splintering its head into tiny wooden pieces. She then started building up speed as she started towards Yamada, her hand tightening into a fist before she jumped into the air.

Yamada saw her coming long before she jumped. He quickly pulled out his sword and held the flat side off it up against the strike. When Tsunade's fist hit the blade, Yamada could feel the power and anger behind it.

He could have easily dodged it really, but he wanted her to know how little her strength could do against him. His feet sank into the ground under the crushing strength, but not much else happened. She brought her other fist down, but that as well had little effect.

Instead, Yamada pushed her off by turning the blade making her hands slip and she fell towards the sharp edge. However, before she hit the sharp edge Yamada stepped away allowing her to hit the ground.

As she got back to her senses, she saw Yamada merely standing there. His expression was still emotionless, but she saw the hint of amusement in his eyes. _'He's fucking toying with me.'_ She thought, infuriated.

She rose from her position to give a punch in the young man's direction, easily avoided. Another punch, avoided as well. A quick roundhouse kick, caught. Another punch, deflected.

It kept on going, while the clones were mowing down shinobi after shinobi; Yamada was simply playing with Tsunade. It was like he wasn't taking her seriously at all and he knew it would infuriate her.

Another dodge and Tsunade lost her temper. "Come on! Fight me seriously and stop playing. Be done playing Kami and fight me like a real man!" Tsunade didn't know where the words came from, but then again she never did when she was angry.

Yamada's eyes seemed to light up as the humor disappeared from them. Immediately he retaliated to her words with a punch to her stomach, knocking her breath away from her. She didn't even have time to collapse from the attack, however, because it was immediately followed up by a basic kick to her nose, breaking it in the process.

"Oh, Tsunade, Tsunade, Tsunade, Tsunade… you completely misunderstand." He said as he kicked her again, sending her flying away from him. "I'm not playing Kami, where did you get that idea from?" He asked as he calmly walked towards her fallen form.

Her nose had just healed from the earlier blow, but she was still struggling to get up. As he got near, Tsunade noticed the glint in his eyes and fought even more to get up. "You completely misunderstand. You see…" He started as he bent down to her height.

"I'm not playing Kami. No, all this time… I've been playing human."

Before she even knew the punch had connected, Tsunade's back hit the Konoha wall with a huge boom. The wall collapsed under the force of her body hitting it with such power. All eyes were on the two now as the blow had caught everyone's attention. Even Yamada's own clones were surprised.

Yamada closed his eyes and then opened them. To the shock and horror of many Konoha shinobi, his eyes were purple with ripples around the pupil. Another gasp was drawn as he levitated from the ground far into the air before he stretched out his hand.

"Banshō Ten'in…" He muttered darkly. Moments later Tsunade's broken body was drawn out of the rubble and towards the floating man. She absorbed speed quickly as she approached.

"This is for hurting my sister!" He shouted as he slammed his foot into Tsunade's back, feeling a sick satisfaction when he heard it crack. The blonde was launched into the ground with a force that caused a huge crater in the ground. Shinobi and trees alike were launched away from the impact center.

Yamada did a quick set of handseals as clouds gathered overhead. As the dust cleared Tsunade got sight of Yamada with a Raikiri in hand being fed lightning directly from the heavy black clouds.

Not even a second later his hand collided with her body. She could feel blood welling up in her mouth as the lightning induced technique pierced through her chest just shy of her heart.

All the blonde woman could feel now was pain. She was pretty aware of everything that was broken within her body. Her healing was doing its work, but it wasn't working fast enough. The pain was almost unbearable.

Yamada looked down at his bloodied hand that was still imbedded in the woman's chest. He then lifted her limp body into the air before throwing her back towards the collapsed walls.

She fell like a sack of potatoes against the rubble and was quickly approached by shinobi trying to tend to her wounds. Yamada would have none of it though as he lifted his palm to face the ruined wall.

Chakra started gathering at the palm of his hand. First it was distinguishable as red and blue orbs until they combined into a purple-ish ball. The ball grew and grew in size completely blocking Yamada's body from view until it was bigger than even the tallest of buildings in Konoha.

Then it started slowly compressing and kept going until it was just a few sizes larger than the man's hand. He pointed a particularly hateful glare in Tsunade's direction. "Now die along with this pathetic village of yours."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The giant wall of desert sand that was approaching was intimidating to say the least, but Mei wasn't deterred. She merely wore a smirk although on the inside she kept wondering how she was going to stop such a monster.

"Godaime-dono, it seems that you need some help." Mei recognized the voice immediately. She felt a smirk growing on her face when she knew that the odds were suddenly more in her favor.

"That would be ideal indeed Tsuchikage-dono." She replied as her lone visible eye glanced over at the other redhead. "Did you have something special in mind?" She asked.

The Tsuchikage quickly approached Mei and whispered a quick few words in Mei's ear. The auburn haired woman raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That is quite a secret you're keeping." She said.

"It's not an ability I use often anymore. I found that I was quite reliant on it in the past, but not anymore. However, I think it would be quite useful in this situation." Mei nodded her agreement. "Indeed… well then let's get too it."

Both women simultaneously started their handseals. "Yōton: youganno kawa!" Both women released their flow of lava at the same time. Not long after the huge amount of lava collided with the sand which was a very one sided encounter. The sand was easily stopped and was slowly smelted into a glass-like substance.

Through the thick steam from the ever cooling lava Mei could see a small army of roughly five hundred shinobi approaching through the dessert. At the front she could easily make out Gaara with his ever neutral expression.

"Looks like we'll be having quite a fight on our hands." The Tsuchikage said with a smirk. Mei matched her smirk, already taking a liking to the woman. "Indeed we will."

The Kazekage kept walking until he stopped not further than ten meters away from them. It was just close enough to be in earshot, but just far enough for him to be standing safely inside the dessert area.

"Yondaime-dono, it seems that this meeting is not as pleasant as I would have originally liked." Gaara said although he showed no anger. "It could have been, but you decided to pick Konoha's side despite their leaders actions." Mei spoke back.

"The actions of the leader should not be retaliated on her people. While I do agree that the Hokage's acts were gruesome that does not mean I accept the mass murder of her people." Gaara retaliated with equal strength.

"It seems we won't be coming to any agreements today Kazekage-sama. So what say you we just skip the pleasantries." Gaara uncrossed his arms. "Very well."

Then without further warning, the three kage-level shinobi clashed. Mei instantly knew that she and the Tsuchikage would be at a disadvantage. Being so close to the desert they were basically in Gaara's playground. The presence of the Tsuchikage put that to ease a little, but they were still outmatched by the sheer amount of sand the man could command alone.

However, while the man had power, he lacked speed. Not just personally, but his sand was also rather slow. While Mei wasn't of the fastest people around she liked to think she wasn't as slow as the Kazekage and neither was the Tsuchikage.

In other words; it as a fight that they could win.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Haku looked up at Kumogakure. It hadn't been too hard to find the village considering it was hidden atop a range of tall mountains. However, finding the village didn't seem to be the problem, but finding a way in without being noticed was another.

There was only one official entrance to the village and that one was heavily guarded. Otherwise they had the option of climbing up the side of one of the mountains, but that way they were sure to be discovered. It wouldn't be hard to see a group of hunter-nin climbing a bare stone wall after all.

Storming the front entrance, while it would be successful, would also cost her many of her shinobi which would be a bother later on. However, at that moment, she didn't see many other options. That was until…

"Tell me, how many of you can do the Kirigakure no jutsu?" She asked as she turned to look at her shinobi. Several of them stepped forward, more than enough for her plan to take place.

"Excellent… we'll move in at nightfall."

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Chōjūrō removed his mask as he looked around. The Tsuchikage's office was nothing spectacular, in fact it was less so than Yamada's which made him snort in a short laugh.

However, something was keeping him tense and that something was the lax security of the village. It had been almost too easy to get inn. It wasn't supposed to be like that.

Yes, they were supposed to take the village and yes their work was just cut in half, but it still worried him for some reason. Of course there was the logic behind it that the Tsuchikage had made an irrational decision and pulled too many forces into the battlefield, but Chōjūrō felt like something bigger was in play.

"Taichou… we need to move now." Chōjūrō jerked out of his thoughts before quickly placing his mask back in place. "Yes of course, let's go."

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"Now die along with this pathetic village of yours."

The dark ball of condensed chakra quickly shot off towards Tsunade and her gang. She knew she had no way of dodging, but she wasn't afraid. She had accepted earlier that day that she was destined to die. Her only wish had been that the village would not go under with her. However it seemed her wish was not to be granted.

Still, she accepted the death that was coming to her. She deserved it even if she hadn't committed the crime she was being executed for. Perhaps she even wanted to die so that she could see all the people that she had lost.

She closed her eyes and prepared for the impact to come… only it never hit her. "Shinra Tensei!" The chakra bomb hit the invisible wall and exploded. The explosion expanded out in every direction except for the direction where the village and Tsunade were located. Any signs that there had ever been a forest there were blasted away along with big parts of the ground.

At the end of it all a crater that stretched for over a mile and ended abruptly at the edge of the village where there was now a giant cliff. Yamada stood on one remaining pillar that he had prevented from being blasted away. His eyes narrowed when he realized just who had blocked his attack.

The brunette standing at the top of the hill only confirmed it. "What are you doing Tenten?"

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Reviews

Cathyscloud9

That might happen… or it might not happen. Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.

Guest

Has it been that long already? Dam time sure passes when you're having fun writing.

For not spoiling the rest of the book, I'll have to refrain from answering your questions though. However, if you want to be spoiled then I would be happy to… through PMs… which I can't because by the looks of thing you don't have an account. ;)

 **AN:** So the reason this chapter is a week late is because I wanted to take my time with it. I didn't want to rush it like I normally do other chapters. I wanted this chapter to be as good as it could be and that's exactly what I've done or at least tried to do. I hope you guys aren't too angry about this though. However, this left me thinking. In all honesty it would be better if I could wait two weeks in between chapters. That way I will have more time to mold them into what I want them to be instead of rushing one out each week and occasionally be unhappy with them. It would also leave me room to make them much longer as well, however, that would mean you would only get a new chapter every two weeks. So I want your opinion on this. Do you think it's a good idea? Please tell me what you guys think!

Don't forget to R&R!

Until next time!


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